Another day is going by
I'm thinking about you all the time
But you're out there
And I'm here waiting
And I wrote this letter in my head
'Cuz so many thing were left unsaid
But now you're gone
And I can't think straight
This could be the one last chance
To make you understand
I'd do anything
Just to hold you in my arms
To try to make you laugh
Somehow I can't put you in the past
I'd do anything
Just to fall asleep with you
Will you remember me?
'Cuz I know
I won't forget you
Simple Plan- "I'd Do Anything"
The Flight
Arwen was lying in bed, thinking of the only thing she had been able to give consideration to since the Fellowship left. Aragorn. She wondered where he was, what he was doing. The only thing she was certain of was that he was still alive. Without him, nothing else seemed to matter.
Her father came into her room, calling out to her softly. "Arwen."
She quickly sat up as she turned to the sound of his voice. He was standing just inside the doorway, watching her with pity in his eyes.
"Arwen, it is time. The ships are leaving for Valinor. Go now... before it is too late," Elrond pleaded as he stepped farther into the room.
"I have made my choice," she said softly in reply, her voice void of any emotion.
"He is not coming back. Why do you linger here when there is no hope?"
"There is still hope," she insisted harshly
Elrond walked to the window, looking down at his now shrinking realm. He did not want to hurt is youngest daughter, but he felt his only option left was harsh words. His pleadings to both Arwen and Aragorn had gone unheeded in the past. So as Elrond gazed out the window, he explained to his daughter the cruelties of time.
"If Aragorn survives this war, you will still be parted. If Sauron is defeated, and Aragorn made king and all that you hope for comes true, you will still have to taste the bitterness of mortality. Whether by the sword or the slow decay of time, Aragorn will die," Elrond pronounced prophetically. "And there will be no comfort for you. No comfort to ease the pain of his passing. He will come to death, an image of the splendor of the kings of men in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world. But you, my daughter, you will linger on in darkness and in doubt. As nightfall in winter that comes without a star. Here you will dwell, bound to your grief, under the fading trees, until all the world has changed and the long years of your life are utterly spent." Elrond turned back to his daughter, tears glimmering in her eyes at his words. He knew she loved the man, but he was not willing to give his daughter to death. He had already lost one. Elrond would not lose them both. "Arwen... there is nothing for you here, only death. Do I not also have your love?" he asked as he sat beside Arwen on the bed.
"You have my love, father," she whispered as she leaned against him as he wrapped his arms around her.
****
Her father's words had scared Arwen. She had only ever thought of her life with Aragorn, knowing she did not want an eternity without him. She had never envisioned a future after his death. But she had seen her father's vision, where she was Queen, and Aragorn, her King, lay in a tomb. And so she had agreed to leave with the Elves of Imladris, to sail West.
It was when they had come to the fork in the road, the one that either led them west to the Grey Havens, or south towards Isengard, that Arwen began to have second thoughts. Was her love so selfish that she would abandon Aragorn so easily? She had always known he would die. Did she not love him enough to risk the end for all the time in between?
So as all the rest of her kin turned to the west, Arwen silently snuck away from the group. She headed south. She was not so foolish as to head toward the battles that lay ahead. No, she quickly turned east. Lorien was her destination. She needed her sister to help her figure out her mind. Mirriel was the only one who did not pressure Arwen to choose between her family and Aragorn. Mirriel was the only one who would not hate her if she chose her heart.
****
Mirriel had been desperately trying to contact Legolas again. After the vision lessened in her mind and the anxiety began to fade, she had spent the entire evening searching for him. It was after Galadrim had quieted for the evening that she felt his presence.
"My love," he whispered and Mirriel cried with joy at the reunion. But before she could tell him all the many things she wanted to say, of Mithrandir's return, the Council, her love for him, he said softly, his voice strained, "Someone is here, an old man." And then he was gone.
Mirriel spent the rest of the evening worrying over the happenings so far from her. She could only hope Mithrandir had found them. It had to be the Wizard, for who else could it be. She convinced herself of this as the dawn streaked its first rays into her room. And then she thought no more.
When Celebruthiel opened her eyes once again, Arwen was sitting beside her. At first she thought she was still dreaming, for Arwen could not be in Lorien.
"Hello Sister," Arwen whispered with a smile as she reached out and grasped Mirriel's hand. "You have been so far away from this room for most of the day."
"Legolas," she replied softly, her hand moving to the empty space in the bed where her husband should be. At his name, Arwen jumped onto the bed next to her.
"What of Legolas?" she asked quickly. "Do you have news? What of Aragorn? Please tell me you have heard from them."
Mirriel looked upon her sister's anxious face and sighed. She knew she must conceal her very brief meeting with Legolas last evening. Even in the safety of daylight, Mirriel had a bad feeling. There had been something in her husband's voice that had frightened her. She knew Legolas had information she was not privy to, information that would cause him concern over the appearance of an old man. What is was, she could not imagine.
And so Mirriel lied to her sister for the first time in her life. "Legolas made contact only briefly. They are still pursuing the Orcs in an attempt to rescue Pippin and Merry." Mirriel then went on to explain all that had occurred since she had last seen Arwen. Some of the information Arwen had already known, like the history of the Fellowships' progression to Galadrim and the separation of them after leaving Lothlorien. Her grandmother had also told her of Mithrandir's return from shadow. But Galadriel had not spoken of Mirriel's first connection with Legolas. She had left that for her daughter to explain to Arwen.
"So as far as I can tell, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are fine. We do not know of Frodo and Sam. That is unless my mother is hiding something from me. And I would not be surprised to find this to be true. She still treats me as if I were a child," Mirriel mumbled.
Arwen laughed in delight. "Now you know how I feel with Father," she stated as she leaned against her sister, almost pushing her off the bed. Mirriel immediately pushed back and the two soon became involved in a war over supremacy of the bed. It concluded in a toss-up and a fit of giggles.
"I am so happy you are here," Mirriel said as she looked down at her baby sister. "I have missed you so." She paused as she really looked into her sister's eyes. "Why are you here, Arwen?" she finally asked softly.
Arwen tore her gaze away, looking at the wall behind Mirriel. She quickly went on to explain all Elrond had told her and of the future she had envisioned. She was terrified of what could come to be, that was evident in her voice and before she could finish the tale, she was in tears.
"Oh sweetheart," Mirriel murmured as she hugged her sister to her. Arwen continued to cry against her shoulder as Mirriel patted her back. She rocked her slowly in her arms until Arwen's sobs lessened. Then she murmured, "Do you love him?"
Arwen's head popped up quickly. "Of course I do," she insisted.
"No, do you really love him?" Mirriel asked quietly.
"Why do you ask me this?" Arwen hissed as she got up from the bed angrily. "I thought you of all would not question my love for Aragorn. I thought you would understand."
"Well you were wrong, Arwen!" Mirriel replied harshly. "I have never understood your feelings for a Man."
Arwen looked to her sister in shock. 'This cannot be happening,' she thought, starring at Mirriel wildly. 'She has always understood me.'
Mirriel got up from the bed and rushed to her sister, grabbing Arwen by the shoulders. Arwen thrashed, trying to break away from Mirriel, but she only tightened her grip. "What I have understood is that love is indiscriminate. It chooses whom it may. Why, how, I do not know. What I do know is that if you truly loved Aragorn, we would not be having this discussion."
Suddenly Arwen stilled in her arms. "And if it was you, you would not question leaving your family, never to see them again"
"I am not sailing West, now am I?" Mirriel asked softly. Arwen pulled from her grasp and moved to stand before the window.
"It is not the same, for you will not grow old and die, never to see your kin again because of your love for Legolas," she whispered brokenly.
"Oh Arwen, is that what you fear? Or do you fear Aragorn leaving you alone?" Mirriel whispered as she approached Arwen, who stood with her back to Mirriel. "For I do not fear my own death. I fear Legolas'. To be left alone for an eternity, that is my greatest fear."
Arwen turned to Mirriel slowly, nodding. "And if he was to leave you, would you just sail West?" she asked. Arwen stared at her sister, wondering her answer. They had never spoken of such things before. Their talks had been of childhood fantasies, nothing more. Arwen felt as if they had past a threshold.
"I do not think I could continue on without him," Mirriel confided softly as she looked over her sister's shoulder into the bright afternoon sky. "Do you not see? The future matters not, for it is something I cannot change. But I would not give up a moment with him now because it could be all I have when this is done."
"What a mess we are," Arwen whispered as she rested her head on Mirriel's shoulder.
Mirriel nodded as the two stood silently, gazing out the window. Each contemplated her life and where the path was leading. Arwen was glad she had come, for Mirriel had helped her sort out her heart. She was still afraid of the future, of having to suffer thru Aragorn's death. This was something that would continue to haunt her throughout her life. But Arwen knew it was the price she would pay for love.
****
Later that morning, the news of Haldir's return reached Mirriel. Even though she was certain her mother would protest, Mirriel left her bed. She dressed quickly, taking no time to fret over her appearance. She was anxious to hear any news he might have from Imladris. She found him in the Great Hall, breaking his fast with Arwen and her father sitting at the table across from him. As Mirriel approached the table swiftly, Arwen looked at her with relief. Celeborn appeared to be berating her, if the way his arms waved around his body was any indication. Haldir looked on, nodding his head at each statement from Celeborn's lips.
"My sister, you will join us?" Arwen asked as she jumped to her feet. She kept raising her eyebrows and jerking her head toward the empty seat beside Haldir. It was a comical looking gesture and Mirriel had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She could only nod for fear of what would come out of her mouth if she opened it. Mirriel sat beside Haldir as Arwen resumed her place at the table.
"Haldir has just returned and he brings you news, Mirriel," Celeborn stated as he smiled at her from across the table.
"Please tell me what you have learned," Mirriel asked softly as she turned to Haldir expectantly. She was nervous, not certain if the news would be good or bad. She did not know how Mirkwood faired or if the Elven King would even want a message from her now that the truth had been revealed.
"I bear a gift for you from King Thranduil of Greenwood the Great," Haldir announced as he reached around his neck and unclasped a slender silver chain. As he handed the chain to Mirriel, she noticed two thin silver rings, intricately produced in the form of small leaves connected together. "There was a message." Haldir paused, his face lined in concentration as he recalled what he had been told to relay. "These were given into the care of Lord Elrond just two days before my arrival in Imladris. King Thranduil sends his congratulations on the marriage of his son. He declared it was high time the vows were spoken. His only regret was not being able to present his gift in person. He hopes you will accept his gift of love and loyalty by wearing the ring he had given his own dear wife so many years ago. It was her wish that their bands go to Legolas and his bride." Haldir finished his recitation with relief.
Mirriel stared at the rings in wonder. She had not expected such an endearing gesture from King Thranduil. Even though long ago he had been told the truth concerning her parentage, Mirriel still had not been certain of his reaction. She had not been entirely sure he had approved of her or the betrothal even though he had arranged it himself. But then King Thranduil had always been a difficult one to read.
"Well, are you not going to put it on?" Arwen asked as she watched the two rings swaying back and forth in front of Mirriel.
"No," she replied as she clasped the chain around her neck. "It does not seem right. I will wait until I see Legolas again. It is something we should do together."
Celeborn smiled at the wistfulness in his daughter's voice.
"Did Lord Elrond have any other messages?" Mirriel asked.
Haldir responded as he eyed Arwen with definite disapproval. "He was very vocal in his displeasure with his youngest daughter. He went into vivid detail ascribing the exact words I should use to express his irritation, but I do not see the need in repeating them once again."
"I bet he did," Mirriel murmured, glancing at her sister through hooded eyes. Arwen squirmed slightly, uncomfortable to be under such scrutiny.
Celeborn looked ready to jump back into the tongue-lashing he'd been giving Arwen when Mirriel approached. But before he was given a chance, Arwen stood and fled from the Hall. Mirriel reached across the table, placing her hand on top of her fathers. He griped hers lightly as he turned his questioning gaze to hers.
"We must all make our own way, Papa," she responded softly to his unspoken question. "Let her be."
"I should have known that you would side with Arwen," Celeborn accused.
"I side with no one," Mirriel stated. "But what happiness can come of forcing your will upon Arwen? If she is to sail West, it must be her decision. Otherwise, she would not survive the journey. Her sadness would consume her. And if she stays to be with Aragorn, we must also respect her choice." Mirriel paused as she studied her father's face. "Do not worry so," she began softly. "If Aragorn does not survive these dark times, Arwen will leave Middle Earth. This I have already pledged."
"And what of you, my daughter?" he questioned.
"I will do what I must to keep this promise, for if Aragorn does not survive, it is because neither has Legolas. I have always understood they will die defending each other. That is the way of it," she whispered.
Celeborn nodded, both in relief and sadness. He hoped it would not come to such dark days. But if it did, he was gladdened at the news that Mirriel would seek the safety of the Grey Havens. He squeezed her hand, quickly rising to his feet. Without a word, Celeborn left Mirriel and Haldir and exited the Hall.
"There was also a private message for you. I thought it best to wait until Lord Celeborn was no longer present," Haldir said as he reached inside his tunic and pulled out a small envelope, branded with the seal of Imladris. After he handed it to her, Haldir left her alone with her missive.
Mirriel tucked the envelope into her pocket and then fled from her parent's house. She stopped in the garden and sat at the same bench she had occupied with Mithrandir only days before. Pulling the envelope from her pocket, she spent quite some time just staring at the wax seal before she carefully opened the envelope. Mirriel pulled out a thick piece of parchment and immediately recognized Elrond's neat crisp handwriting as she began unfolding the letter.
My Daughter, I hope with the time that has stretched between our last meeting, you have found it in your heart to have forgiven me for sending you to your mother. By now, you have been told the story in full. Know this, you have never been less a daughter to me then Arwen. Celebrian and I loved you as if you were our own. That is why she led the Orcs away from you that day in Lothlorien. She would not risk your safety and so she gave them what they wanted, the daughter of Galadriel. Only it was not until later that they realized they had the wrong daughter. But it is of no matter, as not one of those followers of the Dark Lord survived their treacherous deeds. I know you feel deceived by us all. I can only hope you have gained some understanding as to why we concealed the truth all these years. We thought at the time that it would be for the best. And I still believe this to be true. I would do anything to keep you from harm. Since we still are not certain what will become of your parentage, I dread what the future holds for you, Kala. I beg you, if the Ringbearer fails, you must flee this land. We do not know what kind of power, if any, that the Dark Lord will be able to wield over you should he obtain the Ring. Long ago, I had a vision, one I have spoken of only to Thranduil. At the time, I did not see the rise of Barad dur. But I foresaw an evil that would creep over the world. It called to you, trying to envelope you in its thirst for darkness. Only one thing kept your heart pure, a Mirkwood warrior. I immediately sent a dispatch to Thranduil, requesting his presence. He arrived in Imladris with his Royal Guard. I was disappointed that the warrior in my vision was not among them. Thranduil returned to Mirkwood and I continued to try to gleam more about this Elf I had seen. It was purely by coincidence that I uncovered to my surprise his very existence. It was during the celebration of your sister's birth. I came down to greet our guests and there he sat at my dais. I realized my vision was of the warrior he would become, for at the time, he was still just an adolescent. Legolas was the warrior I saw. Thranduil was reluctant to give his son over to such a turbulent future. But we both knew what stood to be lost if we did not unite and gain strength early on before what I saw came to pass. Kala, what I saw both frightens me and gives me hope. For if Legolas survives this, I believe you will be safe. But if he does not survive, you must leave this place, for in his death lies your way to darkness. Middle Earth will stand or fall without your presence. There is nothing you can do to prevent fate from having its way in this. But you can save yourself and Middle Earth from what could occur if you were to falter in your resolve. So I beg you, Kala, take your sister and leave now. Sail West and wait for your husband there. Keep safe my Daughter, Your loving Father
A solitary tear slid down Mirriel's cheek as she folded the letter from her father. She had not realized the extent he had gone to just to keep her from harm. He had handpicked Legolas for one reason and one reason only; Elrond had foreseen the love they would share. So he had made certain Legolas would be tied to her.
Mirriel gave serious thought to her father's request. Maybe it would be better for all if she waited for Legolas in Valinor. Was she being selfish and risking the lives of all the peoples of Middle Earth just by her staying? Before her mind's eye lay a fork in the road of destiny. She had two options and no way of knowing which path was the correct choice.
That evening as Mirriel lay curled up in her bed, she tried to recall everything she had been told so far. She knew both of her fathers wanted her to sail to Valinor. Neither had made any attempts at hiding their desire. Her mother did not want her to stay in Middle Earth but had made no attempts to convince her to leave immediately. Of course, she did not know of Elrond's vision concerning what would occur upon Legolas' death. Would she change her opinion if she were to discover this? Probably. And then there was Mithrandir. The Wizard seemed to know more than he was sharing and he had told her to look away from Mordor to Isengard. Was that where she should be focused on? Was he trying to tell her more in his vague words?
Mirriel sighed loudly as she clutched Legolas' pillow closer to her body and inhaled deeply. It still carried his scent. She closed her eyes and seemed to lose herself in her memories.
****
She stood before the tower, noticing the base, which had once been covered in bright green ivy, was now the home of deadened branches. She reached out hesitantly, her fingers lightly brushing the stems. They crumbled at her touch. Sadly she looked at the tower as the smoke rose around her, rustling the hem of her gown. She felt the pain of the earth beneath her feet. It cried out to her, begging for relief. She wanted to run from the sound, but her feet would not budge. She was transfixed to that spot. She felt as if she was slowly becoming one with land, as if her very soul was draining from her body into the dying ground below her feet. She began to panic, her arms flaying around her body as she tried to force her feet to move, to run from this place, this destruction.
With a gasp, Mirriel sat up, finding herself still in her bed. The sheets clung to her body, a damp sheen covered her from head to toe. The dream had been so real. And this time, instead of just feeling sadness over the destruction, she had felt real fear. Had she just seen her own death? She could not say for certain. She had felt as if she was dying, but had not felt the deadly blow. Was this what her father had envisioned for her or was her mind playing tricks on her?
****
The next morning, Mirriel finally confided in her mother the dreams she had been having. She could not decide the meaning of them, if there was one, and she needed the opinion of another. Galadriel was the logical choice. Mirriel had hoped her mother would have the answers needed to clarify things, but she had none. Mirriel shook her head as she sat on the lounge on the veranda outside her father's study. Galadriel took a seat beside her and grasped her hand. Mirriel sighed softly as Galadriel squeezed her hand.
"I have been told what to do by everyone but you, Mother," she said softly. "Surely you have an opinion as to the path I should travel."
Galadriel was silent a moment as she studied her daughter, contemplating her words. "I cannot tell you which road to travel, Mirriel. I can say I would be much relieved if you left now. Especially after what you have just confided to me." Galadriel paused and Mirriel wondered if she had received her answer. "But you must follow your heart. Only you can decide the course you must take in all this, because we just do not know. What I want may not be what is for the best. My desire comes from my fear for your safety. But what if the danger I fear is only perceived in my mind. It must be your decision and we will all have to respect your choice."
Mirriel sighed again, this time in frustration. She just wished someone would tell her what to do, because she did not know what her heart was telling her. She only knew she did not want to leave Legolas, even for the safety of Valinor. But what good was sitting in Galadrim waiting for him to return doing her? She was of no use to anyone, not even herself. And all the questions were driving her insane.
****
The dream came to her again as soon as she closed her eyes that evening. It was the same as the night before. The tower stood before her, the dead ivy decaying on the blackened walls. The smoke still clung to her, grabbing at her clothing with invisible fingers. She tried to run from it, to the sanctuary of the tower door. She felt if she could make it inside, she would be safe. The ground called out to her as she slowly pried one foot then the other until she was moving forward. Behind her, quite some distance away, she could hear the cry of a long finished battle. The earth moaned for the dead, so many wasted lives. But she did not turn to look behind her. The door was almost before her. As she stretched out a hand, reaching for the knob, she noticed something was different. At the base of the tower stood one purple Weeping Lantana.
Mirriel opened her eyes slowly. This time she did not feel consumed by fear or anxiety over what she had seen. Only confusion resided in her heart, for upon seeing that flower, she had been filled with hope. That something so beautiful could grow in such despair. She did not understand what she was seeing or for what purpose. She suddenly remembered she had seen a blade of grass in the first vision. It had been in the same spot as the flower now stood. Was it a sign? Mirriel spent the rest of the night dissecting the three different dreams apart, trying to determine their meaning apart from each other and as a whole. She came to determine one thing; they meant something important.
****
Mirriel was still abed when the door to her room crashed open. She sat up in surprise as Arwen rushed into the room.
"My sister, you must rise," she whispered insistently, shutting the door behind her, and immediately began to rummage through Mirriel's wardrobe. She grabbed a pale blue dress and matching slippers then turned to regard Mirriel.
"What has occurred?" Mirriel asked anxiously but made no move to leave her bed. She watched Arwen set the dress and shoes on the foot of her bed.
"I overheard Grandmother talking to Grandfather," Arwen replied softly, glancing around the room as if she expected an unknown spy to jump out from the shadows. "I had gone to Grandfather's study to tell him of my decision, that I had chosen Aragorn." Mirriel smiled at Arwen's statement, though the words also saddened her. "I had not even gotten a chance to knock on the door when I heard Grandmother speak." Arwen began tugging at Mirriel's hand, attempting to get her to stand as she spoke.
"Arwen, calm yourself," Mirriel ordered in a soft but stern voice. "Sit."
Arwen stood beside the bed for a split second as if contemplating her sister's demand. And then she sank to the bed beside her.
"Now what did you hear?" Mirriel asked as she gently lifted Arwen's hair from around her face and smoothed it down her back. "It cannot be that bad."
Arwen turned to her and Mirriel saw the deep seeded fear in her sister's eyes.
"They were debating whether or not to let Middle Earth stand alone, without the aid of the Elves. Mirriel, Saruman will let loose his force from Isengard straight toward the people of Rohan," she hissed frantically.
Confused, Mirriel once again reached out, touching Arwen's shoulder. "Why concern yourself with Rohan? I do not understand."
Tears began to tumble over Arwen's lashes, flowing freely down her pale cheeks. "Yes, I thought only to worry about Gondor. And when Grandmother spoke of the eye of Sauron turning to Gondor, I thought I had never felt such fear. But then she said the words that shall live with me the rest of my days. Aragorn is not in Gondor. He will make for Helms Deep with King Theodden." Arwen paused and her breath hitched as she tried to control her tears before repeating the fateful words she'd heard. "To their doom."
"No!" Mirriel exclaimed as she jumped from the bed, gathering the dress Arwen had set out only moments before. She knew if Aragorn was with the Rohirrim people, so must be Legolas and Gimli. "You must have mistook her words," Mirriel hissed as she yanked the nightdress over her head and fought to get the blue dress quickly on in its place. She was struggling with the laces when Arwen gently touched her arm.
"I did not mistake her words," she whispered hoarsely.
"No," Mirriel stated again in the barest of whispers, denying the truth in her sister's story. Arwen nodded her head and Mirriel felt her knees buckle as she sank to the floor. Arwen quickly dropped to the floor beside her. They sat silently, clutching each other's hand, staring blankly at one another.
"What should we do?" Arwen finally asked. At first she wasn't even sure Mirriel heard her for she did not reply or indicate she was listening. When she finally did, it was not to answer Arwen's question.
"You said Mother and Father were debating over whether or not to take a stand in battle. Is this correct?" Mirriel asked, still staring at Arwen's face, but really seeing nothing.
"Yes," Arwen whispered.
"I will assume Father was against it," Mirriel stated, already fairly certain she knew where her parents stood on this issue. "And Mother would be for it. What I must do is give Father no choice in the matter. If I go to Helms Deep, he will send someone after me. If I get enough of a head start, he will feel the need to send an army if only to protect me." As Arwen watched her sister in stunned silence, Mirriel stood. "First I must speak with them. Then I will gather provisions and leave if need be."
Mirriel left the room without a backward glance, as if she had already forgotten her sister's even existence. Arwen still sat on the floor, considering the sheer conniving ness of her sister's mind. It was certain to achieve the intended results not only from Celeborn, but also from Elrond. Neither would willingly allow their daughter into the middle of a battle without sending assistance. And so with her decision made, Arwen left her sister's room.
****
Mirriel marched down the hall, determination marking her each step. She waved off the guard who stood sentry outside her father's study, indicating they were inside. Without knocking, she opened the door and stepped into the room. Galadriel and Celeborn looked up, startled by her sudden entrance. Both watched Mirriel curiously as she stood just inside the doorway studying them.
"Mirriel?" Galadriel questioned as her daughter just stood inside the threshold, starring at Celeborn, her eyes filed with accusations. And still Mirriel did not speak nor did she move. Her gaze never wavered from her father's face.
"What is it?" Celeborn asked as he stood from his chair before the roaring fire.
His movement caused Mirriel to finally react and she rushed into the room. "You must not let them die," she begged as she stopped in the middle of the study. At her words, Celeborn sank back into the chair. He brought his hand to forehead as if it pained him. He suddenly looked frail and uncertain but Mirriel steeled herself against this. She was going to do what it took to save Legolas and the others.
"What would you have me do?" he asked wearily as he lifted his head from his hand. He had been arguing with Galadriel about this very subject for what seemed like hours and he was tired.
"Send them help," she pleaded as she kneeled before her father, placing a hand on his knee.
"No!" Celeborn declared loudly as he stood, knocking Mirriel off balance and onto her backside. "I have already given your husband to the cause. I will not risk others on a quest that cannot be won."
Mirriel rose to her feet and then turned to face her father. "You gave no one," she hissed. She felt an overwhelming rage begin to consume her. She approached Celeborn, slowly, steadily like a cat stalking a mouse. "No, you sit here amid your beloved forest while the world around us falters. Legolas went on this mission because Elrond asked him to do so. You had nothing to do with it. My husband went with the Ringbearer in the hopes of saving me, while my own father does nothing!"
Galadriel stepped forward between father and daughter, effectively blocking a confrontation before they came face to face. Rage was pulsating from her daughter like Galadriel had never seen before from another Elf.
"That is enough, Mirriel," Galadriel said softly. "You must control yourself."
"Mother, step aside," Mirriel demanded. She paid little heed to her mother's words. She only knew her mother stood in the way of what she wanted.
"Enough!" Galadriel commanded.
She seemed to change form before Mirriel's very eyes, growing larger and more powerful, and Mirriel took a step backwards in surprise. As she turned from her parents, she realized her fists were clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms. She opened her palms and looked at them curiously, the indentions red and bleeding. She began to shake, a slight tremor that moved up her spine until her knees buckled. Mirriel would have landed on the floor had Celeborn not caught her around the waist. He helped her maneuver to a nearby chair and she sank into the cushion. Mirriel did not know what had come over her, but she'd felt such a fit of anger sweep over her, consuming her to the point where she'd felt nothing else. She truly believed if her mother had not stepped before her, she very likely would have lashed out at her father.
"I am so sorry, Papa," she whimpered in a small, broken voice.
"It is all right," he whispered as he kneeled before her, pulling Mirriel into his arms. He glanced at Galadriel, silently questioning Mirriel's behavior. He was not certain what had just occurred, but he too had felt the rage that had swept over the room in violent waves.
"It is not all right," she said tearfully. "When Arwen told me of."
"Arwen?" Galadriel interrupted as she sank to the floor beside Celeborn. "What has she to do with this?"
Mirriel lifted her head from Celeborn's shoulder and looked at her mother, trying to determine what she was asking. She blinked several times, vaguely wondering why Galadriel was asking before she realized neither knew of Arwen's eavesdropping.
"Arwen overhead you speak of the Rohirrim plight, of Aragorn. She woke me this morning to tell me of their doom at Helms Deep," Mirriel whispered.
"That little trouble maker," Galadriel murmured under her breath. Just before Mirriel had burst into the room, Galadriel had been fairly certain she had finally managed to get Celeborn's compliance regarding Helms Deep. Then Mirriel had stepped into the room, demanding her way and Celeborn had balked. Galadriel looked at her husband, but Celeborn glanced away from her, unwilling to meet her eyes. Galadriel sighed. "Mirriel, that is not all I have seen." Galadriel stood and walked in front of the fire. With her back to her daughter, she began, "With Saruman beginning his attack on Rohan, the eye of Sauron now turns to Gondor. His war on this country will come swiftly. He senses the ring is close. The strength of the Ringbearer is failing. In his heart, Frodo begins to understand the quest will claim his life. In the gathering dark, the will of the ring grows strong. It works hard now to find its way back into the hands of men. Men, who are so easily seduced by its power. The young captain of Gondor has but to extend his hands, take the ring for his own and the world will fall. It is close now, so close to achieving its goal."
"That is it then. It is over," Mirriel murmured sadly, giving into defeat finally. "All is lost and the Elves will flee, leaving Middle Earth to its doom."
Galadriel turned back to Mirriel, regarding her silently. She still sat in the comfort of her father's arms, but she seemed to have faded before them. "Do you give up so easily, my daughter? I seem to recall different words from you in this very room the night of your return to Galadrim."
Mirriel met her mother's gaze in confusion. She could not grasp exactly what her mother was saying. Galadriel watched her daughter with a piercing look, demanding Mirriel open her mind and let her mother in. Finally Mirriel glanced at her father and understood.
"I feel Arwen has strayed outside the borders of Lorien. What is this about?" Galadriel asked silently. She knew if she spoke the words out loud, Celeborn would immediately react. If this was some scheme between Arwen and Mirriel, she wanted to know of the purpose before having Celeborn fetch her some times impulsive granddaughter.
"What?" Mirriel asked sharply. She was clearly surprised. "You must be mistaken. She was not, I mean, it was, I mean." Mirriel sighed.
"I no longer sense her within the borders of Lothlorien," Galadriel replied, watching Mirriel closely.
Mirriel felt all blood drain from her face. Her mother must surely be confused because Arwen would never do something so foolish as run away. Suddenly Mirriel remembered Arwen had been foolish enough when she had fled the safety of Imladris.
"If anything happens to her," Mirriel began but could not continue as the prospect was too much to consider. "Oh curse my foolish tongue. It is my fault. When she told me of the fate of Helms Deep, I formulated a plan on how to get Father's compliance if reasoning with him did not suffice. It was never my intention for Arwen to leave."
"Of course it was not. You just intended to disobey Elrond and your father by leaving the safety of Lothlorien and hurling yourself into the thick of things," Galadriel commented dryly. Guilt consumed Mirriel and she dropped her eyes to the floor. "You planted a seed in Arwen's head that sent her fleeing from her home. And in doing so, you just might have succeeded in accomplishing your goal," Galadriel said with a small smile. Mirriel raised her eyes to her mother's face. "If Arwen has truly left, I suspect your father will send someone to retrieve her. As for Helms Deep, I will work on your father and Elrond. Leave us now, Mirriel, and let me break the news to your father."
Mirriel pulled herself from her father's arms. She kissed him on the cheek and then rose from the chair. She hugged her mother then left the room. Mirriel wasted no time returning to her room. She quickly changed into traveling clothes and grabbed a small pack, her bow, quiver, and arrows. As she was leaving her room, she paused as if remembering something. She glanced at her vanity and her eyes fell upon the music box. She quickly yanked the ribbon from her neck, unthreading the key. Before she allowed herself to question her actions, she opened the box, grabbed the Ring, and slid it on her finger. Then she rushed from her room, heading for the kitchen. She rummaged through the pantry, grabbing what food she could that would not perish easily. She slipped what she could in the pack, slung it over her shoulder then quickly flitted through the city, taking care not to be seen. She did not feel she had safely traveled unseen until she reached the Anduin River.
Mirriel had no doubts as to her sister's present location and as she reached the river, she found one of the boats to be missing. Without even giving her actions a second thought, knowing she could be heading to her own death (and if not, her father would certainly kill her upon her return), Mirriel threw her supplies in the nearest boat, untied it, and began quickly pushing it in the gently moving river.
"Just where are you going?" a voice called out behind her.
Mirriel cursed under her breath at her ill luck. She contemplated trying to outrun those standing behind her, but Mirriel knew she would most likely not be able to get the boat in the water and herself inside it before she was overtaken. With a sigh, she dropped her hands to her side and slowly turned to face Haldir, Rumil, and Orophin.
"What do you think I am doing?" she asked pointedly. "I am going after Arwen."
"Are you mad?" Rumil questioned loudly. Orophin also looked as if he thought she'd lost all sense. Only Haldir seemed unsurprised.
"Maybe I am," Mirriel replied with a shrug. "But unless you plan on physically stopping me, help me get this boat in the water. Arwen already has a far distance on me. I must be quick if I am to catch up." She turned back to the boat, tensely waiting to see what the three brothers would do.
Haldir stepped forward and Mirriel flinched as he touched her elbow. She figured she'd lost the bet and was confused when he searched her face. After a brief moment, Haldir dropped her arm and bent to the boat.
"Haldir?" Orophin questioned as Mirriel felt relief seep through her every fiber.
Haldir ignored his brother as he looked at Mirriel. "You understand if I return from this alive, Lord Celeborn will have me mucking out the stables for the rest of my days," he stated, a grim look set like granite on his face.
"I understand I will be right beside you," she replied with a grin.
He smiled back before glancing back at his brothers. "Are you coming?" he asked, raising one brow at the two just standing motionless with their mouths hanging open. "It is out duty to protect the Princess, is it not?"
This sent the two brothers into action as they scurried to another boat. Soon both boats were in the water, heading down the stream.
****
Galadriel watched as her husband paced the length of the Great Hall. Soon he would have a hole worn through her rug if he kept up his current position, she thought. Interestingly enough, Galadriel was not as concerned as her husband over the disappearance of their granddaughter. She briefly gave thought to the absence of any worry, but was distracted when the door suddenly opened loudly as Tirgon rushed into the hall.
"Any word?" Celeborn asked as he stopped to look at Tirgon.
Tirgon shook his head forcefully. "I have even more distressing news, my Lord," he proclaimed anxiously.
Celeborn's heart sank at the lack of news. He didn't know what could be more distressing than Arwen's disappearance. He was almost afraid to learn this new development.
"We have discovered three boats missing at the Great River," Tirgon explained.
"Three boats?" Celeborn questioned in confusion. "How could Arwen have taken three boats?"
"That is not all, my Lord. The Princess is also missing, and no one can locate Haldir, Rumil, or Orophin either."
"What!" Celeborn exclaimed angrily and all those in Galadriem flinched at the sound.
****
"Why were we cursed," Celeborn asked of his wife later, when it became evident that Mirriel was truly gone, "to have bred two foolish children, who in turn gave life to more foolish children? What have we done to deserve such?"
"At least she had the forethought to take Haldir, Rumil, and Orophim with her. They will keep her safe," Galadriel reassured as she caressed her husband's cheek.
"I hope you are correct," he whispered sorrowfully. "I truly hope you are."
****
For the rest of the first day and night they steadily pursued Arwen down the Anduin. By Mirriel's estimates, Arwen had only a half-day lead on them. She could not imagine Arwen using an oar the whole way down river, instead letting the current carry her along. So Mirriel hoped they would overtake her before she reached shore.
The landscape changed from bare woods so thick no glimpse of the land behind them could be seen to the Brown Lands on the eastern shore. Nothing but formless slopes, brown and withered, lay between Southern Mirkwood and the hills of the Emyn Muil. Mirriel could not imagine what destruction had swept over the land, killing everything in its path. But it gave her an indication of the hatred behind the force of Mordor. She shivered and turned her gaze to the western shore. To the west lay the green north plains of the Riddermark. And that gave her some comfort, though not as much as she'd have liked.
Daylight was just approaching on the second day when Haldir called her name softly. It was the first time he had spoken in several hours and Mirriel was concentrating so diligently on keeping her strokes strong and even, she almost missed his whisper.
"Haldir?" she questioned as she turned to look back at him.
"Mirriel, you should rest for a spell," he suggested. He had been watching Mirriel for some time as she continued with the frantic pace she had set for them. Haldir was worried she would tire herself out before they reached shore and their real journey began.
"I am fine," she replied as she turned back to the front of the boat and continued rowing at a steady pace.
With a frown, Haldir reached forward, yanking the oar from her hands. Mirriel whipped around in her seat, the look on her face a mixture of confusion and anger.
"I cannot have you wearing yourself out so quickly," he explained calmly, unaffected by her hard questioning look. "We do not know how far we must travel before overtaking your foolish sister." His reasoning seemed to have little effect and Mirriel opened her mouth to argue with him. "We shall take turns," Haldir stated before she could get a reply out of her mouth. His tone boasted no arguments. Mirriel opened her mouth once again to protest before quickly snapping it shut and nodding briskly. She wiggled down in the boat, trying to get comfortable. She tightly squeezed her eyes closed, attempting to shut out the turmoil her life had become.
****
The landscape was always the same; the dark tower, the blackened ground. Only this time, Mirriel was inside the tower. She walked from room to room, searching for a way out. She felt there was something still in the tower, a presence that had not been vanquished and it was stalking her. She tried to open each door she encountered but her efforts were all in vain. She felt trapped and the lack of clean air caused her to panic. She made her way to the top of the tower, where in the center stood a black pedestal, covered by a gray cloth, streaked with dirt and grime. Mirriel reached her hand out to touch the cloth then backed away as she noticed an open doorway on the other side of the pedestal. She ran to it, walking through the doorway, finding herself on a balcony overlooking a large ominous hole. Below her stood many Elves, their blackened faces looked up at her, crying out in help, begging for release. Their wailing filled her with dismay. She backed away from the horrifying sight, feeling the presence directly behind her. To afraid to turn around and confront whatever was behind her, she ran back to the balcony. She suddenly noticed in the distance stood one solitary tree, the bright green leaves a vivid contrast to the darkness surrounding it.
She opened her eyes with a gasp.
"Mirriel?" Haldir questioned softly as he touched her arm. Mirriel glanced around frantically, expecting to still be surrounded by death and destruction. "Mirriel?" he asked again as he watched her closely. It was obvious something had distressed her.
It took Mirriel a moment for her mind to register that Haldir was no longer in the boat. The sun was fading from the sky and darkness would soon be upon them. Haldir and Rumil were in knee-deep water, pulling the boat to shore. Mirriel shook her head and smiled at Haldir. He gave her one last look of disbelief before he returned his concentration to beaching the boat. She did not want to speak of what she had seen, not while it was still so vivid in her mind.
"Why have we stopped?" Mirriel asked as she watched the three brothers pull the boat onto the rocky shore.
"We have reached the point were the Limlight joins the Great River. We cannot be certain exactly where Arwen will make for shore and continue on land. And without the help of the stars, there is always the possibility that we will miss her discarded boat. We do not even know if she will continue to drift down the Great River or try to travel up the Limlight. Hopefully with the dawn, we will at least be able to ascertain the answer to that. To lose her at this point would be disheartening," Haldir explained as Rumil reached a hand out to Mirriel, helping her from the boat. She nodded at Haldir's assessment. Behind her, Orophim tied up both boats while Rumil set up a perimeter for camp. Haldir began going through their items, taking what was needed out of the boats for the night.
With the dawn came a quick survey of their surrounding. Orophim noticed some odd looking markings on the ground, that of an unknown beast similar to those seen following the Fellowship in Lorien.
"Gollum," Mirriel stated as she bent down beside Orophim, studying the prints. "It must be him. Frodo spoke of seeing him on the journey. Gollum must have picked up their trail once they left Lorien and continued to pursue them."
"Who is this Gollum?" Rumil asked nervously. He remembered the beast with the red eyes and was uncertain if he should be on guard against such a creature.
"I do not know precisely what Gollum is, only that he was the creature from whom Bilbo took the Ring. I do not think he is of any concern to us. He follows the Ring and since it is not the Ring that we seek, he will leave us alone. Anyway, Frodo is long gone from this place and I am certain Gollum is also," Mirriel replied as she stood. "We should really get moving." She set her sights on the boat and began trying to push it from the shore. Rumil stepped forward and lent his shoulder to her pursuit. Orophim went to work on the other boat.
Instead of helping Orophim, Haldir said from behind Mirriel, "Get in. Rumil and I will get the boat afloat."
Mirriel sighed but did what she was told. She did not feel like arguing with Haldir over something so trivial. Once they were once again on their way, it soon became apparent that Arwen would not have tried to maneuver her boat up the Limlight. The current would have made it difficult for two, but impossible for just one.
It did not take long before the Anduin broadened and grew shallow. The four soon realized that they were going to lose time trying to navigate the rocks to keep from crashing against the river bottom. Mirriel only hoped they had slowed Arwen down more dramatically, for two pair of eyes had to be better than one. But she was also aware they were going to lose any ground they had gained by having to stop every night.
It was well into day three when the plains turned to hilly rocky land. Crumbling cliffs on both sides guaranteed that Arwen would not have been able to stop anywhere along the river so the four felt safe in continuing their journey through the night and into day four. The river took a turn around noon, growing more steadily fast paced. Far off in the distance a rumbling could be heard and Mirriel believed the Sarn Gebir must be near. Arwen would not have risked the falls and Mirriel started to become concerned that maybe they had already missed her somehow.
Dusk was quickly approaching when the Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings long forgotten, came into view. Mirriel felt a lump in her throat. She thought of Aragorn and of the path ahead of him. So uncertain was he of his own future and so ashamed of his past. It made Mirriel want to weep for him. Arwen would have felt even more unsettled by the giant stone guardians. Once they had cleared the statues, the cliffs faded away to rocky beaches and dense trees lining the shore. The sounds of the fall ahead where becoming more pronounced and it took some effort to keep the boats from careening forward. They made their way closer to shore. That is when they noticed the boats on the western shore.
Two boats were easily spotted. Mirriel shook her head, silently questioning the absence, for even if these were the boats of the Fellowship and not Arwen, there was still one boat missing. Haldir, easily judging her thoughts, tapped her shoulder, pointing to the lone boat resting on the eastern shore. As they jumped from their boats, quickly pulling them on the western shore bank, Mirriel realized this was where the Fellowship had separated. They had been forced to leave some of their possessions behind in their haste and Mirriel easily recognized Legolas' pack in one of the boats.
"This was the boat used by Legolas and Gimli," Mirriel said as she ran a hand lovingly down the side of the boat. Mirriel had to force herself away from the boat. "The other," she said as she motioned to the boat on the other side of the river, "is Frodo's. This is were they split, Frodo heading east and Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli headed west, tracking the Orcs." The second boat was curiously empty and Mirriel stepped closer, looking for clues. She reached out, tentatively touching the boat. "This was Arwen's," she said as relief filled her from head to toe. "She must have seen the abandoned boats and realized what they were also." Mirriel paused before murmuring, "I do not understand why one boat is missing."
That statement was left hanging in the air as Orophim emerged from the surrounding woods. "Her trail heads west. She has only a minimal lead. If we hurry, we should overtake her before dawn."
With that pronouncement, they grabbed their meager provisions and gave chase through the forest. It was a steep, rocky incline that seemingly never ended. Suddenly they were surrounded by death, the bodies of many Orcs lay scattered around them, abandoned and forgotten. Arrows protruded from some of the carcasses while others had obviously met their end by the steel of a sword.
"This is an Elven arrow," Rumil observed as he yanked one from the chest of an Orc, "flown from a Lorien bow. Legolas was here."
Mirriel absently nodded, having already guessed as much. She knew of the battle that had occurred, where the Hobbits had been taken and Boromir had died. She wondered if this was the spot he had taken his last breath. With that thought, the missing boat suddenly made sense. Aragorn would not have taken the time to bury Boromir, but neither would he have left his body to rot with such filth. They must have sent him down the Falls of Rauros in the hope that his body would find it's way down stream to Minas Tirith, where his family could give him the proper burial he deserved.
They continued on their way, hoping they had not lost too much time in their assessment of the battle. They crested the steep incline and paused to see their path led down a difficult decline filled with rocks and sharp ruts. They carefully began to descend, leaving the Anduin far behind. At the foot of the stony hills, Orophim paused, bending to the ground.
"She went that way," he pointed to a path that led northward through the Emyn Muil. "As far as I can tell, she is so far following the trail the others left behind."
Orophim took the lead with the others following. The trail was difficult to navigate and they came to the top of one steep ridge only to find another at its foot. This pattern continued throughout the night. They stopped to rest briefly at a small stream that wound it's way through Emyn Muil. Here as they ate some lembas and filled their almost empty flasks, Rumil voiced his surprise that they had not overtaken Arwen yet.
"She surely knows someone will come after her, so she will not slow her pace unless forced to do so. And right now we are probably moving at the same pace," Mirriel murmured thoughtfully as she munched on a piece of the Lorien bread. "She believes she is on a noble quest- to save Aragorn. We can only hope something forces her to a halt soon if we are to catch her. I had expected to do so before we reached land. Now we can only pray our stamina outlasts hers."
"I am beginning to believe Lord Elrond gave his daughters too much freedom," Orophim muttered under his breath as he knelt beside the stream, filling his flask.
"I fear you are probably correct in your assessment," Mirriel replied with a laugh. "It has turned us into wayward uncontrollable creatures."
Orophim snorted in agreement as Rumil nodded his head. Both still could not believe they were chasing after their Lord and Lady's granddaughter halfway across Middle Earth. Haldir hid his smile behind his pack as he pretended to be busy organizing his possessions.
They felt refreshed after the short rest and continued on, hoping they would soon exit Emyn Muil and be able to make up lost time on flatter ground. With the dawning of the sun came a surprise. They crowned the top of a rather difficult hill to find it sloped down into a valley and to their left was the East Wall of Rohan. The four Elves scanned the lush green plains of the Rohirrim in the hopes of seeing Arwen in the distance. Far ahead, like a speck of dirt on the sky, there was something moving quickly. Was it Arwen? They could not be certain, but it gave Mirriel hope. The figure was headed west, in the direction of the Gap of Rohan and Helms Deep. Mirriel began to descend with the three brothers following behind.
At the bottom, Rumil took the lead with Orophim, Mirriel, and then Haldir following. Even in their frantic pursuit of Arwen, the three brothers never forgot their first priority was to protect the Princess. And they were especially anxious as they traveled over the gently sloped fields where they could be easily spotted from a distance.
Orophim had some difficulty distinguishing Arwen's trail from that of the large party of Orcs that had traveled through with the two Hobbits. Her footprints seemed to weave around the large trail of blackened trampled grass with those of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. But he managed to spot just enough to be assured they were heading in the right direction.
As the afternoon sun rained down on them, the trail left behind by those before them took a sudden turn to the north. The four paused, Orophim studying the area for signs of Arwen's intentions. Finally, he gave a shout and the other three ran to him.
"The Orcs headed that way, with Legolas following," Orophim stated as he pointed north. "But Arwen did not stray from the western course. So we go toward the Onodlo (Entwash)." He sprang forward with Rumil at his side. Mirriel and Haldir followed closely behind.
"Let us hope the Onodlo has slowed your sister down," Haldir stated as he glanced at Mirriel. "For at the rate we are going, I do not know if we will overtake her before she reaches the Gap of Rohan. And I am concerned for her safety that close to Isengard."
Mirriel looked back at Haldir, slightly surprised over his concern of Isengard. "I truly do not think Isengard will concern itself with one Elf. Saruman has his eye on a much bigger prize."
"And what of you?" he asked. "Are you a big enough prize for the sights of Saruman?"
Mirriel shrugged. She did not know if Saruman still had grand plans of capturing her and using her against Galadriel and Elrond. Mirriel could only hope Saruman thought her out of range and had given it up as a lost cause.
On the banks of Onodlo, there they encountered Arwen. She was trying to cross the swiftly moving river on a log, using her hands to paddle.
"That fool is going to drown," Rumil hissed as they stood on the banks, trying to decide what to do.
"We have two options," Haldir stated as they watched Arwen, who was too busy trying to navigate the river that she had not even noticed their presence. "We can try to cross here and likely get ourselves killed. Or we can cross farther upstream and hope to catch her on the other side."
Mirriel watched for a moment, trying to gauge the possibility of any of them making it across. She was afraid if she took her eyes from Arwen's struggling figure, she would return to find her gone, drowned in the hissing water.
"We cross farther upstream," she finally responded, saying a silent prayer that Arwen managed to cross Onodlo unscathed. But Mirriel also recognized what Arwen was trying to accomplish and knew if neither of them survived the crossing, Helms Deep was doomed, for Celeborn would have no reason to send aid.
Haldir nodded at her reply and led the way upstream, to Entwade, where the river could be navigated more easily. When they returned to the spot Arwen had been trying to cross, she was nowhere to be seen. A sob of frustration escaped Mirriel as the three brothers fanned out, looking for anything to confirm she had made it safely across. Mirriel just stood staring at Onodlo, wondering if her sister was somewhere under its depths. She was pulled from her reverie by Rumil's call. Mirriel glanced around looking for the direction Rumil had taken. Roughly 20 paces downstream, he had dropped to his knees and Mirriel took off running in his direction. When she reached his side, there was Arwen lying on the muddy riverbank.
"Please tell me she lives," Mirriel begged as she tumbled to the ground beside Rumil. She grabbed Arwen to her chest and called her name. "Arwen, don't you do this to me. I cannot do this on my own."
"Mirriel," Haldir said softly as he touched her arm, "she still breathes."
As he spoke, a gurgling noise came from Arwen's slight frame and then a deep cough. Mirriel squealed with relief as she pulled back from Arwen to roll her on to her side, letting her cough up the water she had ingested. Then she pulled Arwen back to her, wiping the wet hair from Arwen's face.
"Mirriel, would you let me be," a raspy voice finally said. Mirriel looked down in surprise and laughed as she realized Arwen was looking up at her. "Are you trying to smother me?"
"Why you ungrateful little brat!" Mirriel said in mock anger as she let go of the struggling Arwen. Then she smiled brightly at her baby sister. "Don't ever scare me like that again." Mirriel rose from the ground with Arwen, lending her support as she tried to get to her feet.
For the first time, Arwen looked around, noticing Mirriel was not alone. "I should have known you would bring them with you," she muttered as she broke away from Mirriel.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Mirriel questioned. "If I had not, they would not have allowed me to make this journey after you."
"No one asked you to," Arwen said testily.
"You are correct. No one did. But I thought it best that I find you before Father did. Arwen, he is angry enough over you fleeing from Imladris. What were you thinking? Never mind, I know what you were thinking of, but you should not have left."
"And what should I have done, Mirriel? Sit and let Aragorn die?"
"Of course not. But now what? I have risked much coming after you and still I do not know what it will accomplish," Mirriel said softly as she touched Arwen's arm gently.
"Are you saying you left Lorien without Grandfather's approval?" Arwen asked softly, a tinge of a smile on her lips. At least she would not be the only one confined to her rooms when she was finally caught.
Mirriel sighed. "Of course Papa did not let me leave." She pointed to the three brothers before continuing, "And they will be in just as much trouble." Rumil and Orophim shifted uncomfortably at the prospect of facing Celeborn's wraith. Haldir, who had the most to lose, was the only one who seemed unconcerned.
"So what do we do now?" Arwen asked quietly, wondering if her sister was going to drag her back to Lorien.
Mirriel stood silent a moment, staring off into the direction they had come. She finally turned to Arwen. "We make for the Gap of Rohan."
"What?" Orophim sputtered in disbelief.
"Are you truly so foolish?" Rumil asked as he reached out, grabbing Mirriel's arm to gain her attention.
"Going back now will not accomplish our goal. We must continue on," Mirriel stated calmly as she watched Rumil.
Rumil looked back at Haldir, waiting for him to intercede. But Haldir only asked, "And what exactly is our goal?"
"Aid to Legolas and Aragorn at Helms Deep. We must hope that Arwen's disappearance will be enough to persuade Father to send help," Mirriel replied softly, wondering just what decision Haldir would make. Would he help them or force them to return to Lorien? She was not sure.
Haldir silently studied the sisters. They formed a united front, very determined in carrying out their plan. But he knew it was folly. Neither Lord Celeborn nor Lord Elrond would be willing to send aid. And even if they did, would it really make a difference? Finally Haldir nodded slowly. He understood Mirriel would always be his one weakness. He knew he could deny her nothing, even if it went against everything he believed.
Arwen gave a sigh of relief as Rumil and Orophim sputtered and protested. Mirriel watched Haldir quietly before returning his nod.
"We must move quickly if we are to make it to the Gap of Rohan. We do not want to get in the path of the Uruk-Hai." Haldir leaped into action, sprinting forward. The others quickly followed behind, all protests silenced by his sudden action.
I'm thinking about you all the time
But you're out there
And I'm here waiting
And I wrote this letter in my head
'Cuz so many thing were left unsaid
But now you're gone
And I can't think straight
This could be the one last chance
To make you understand
I'd do anything
Just to hold you in my arms
To try to make you laugh
Somehow I can't put you in the past
I'd do anything
Just to fall asleep with you
Will you remember me?
'Cuz I know
I won't forget you
Simple Plan- "I'd Do Anything"
The Flight
Arwen was lying in bed, thinking of the only thing she had been able to give consideration to since the Fellowship left. Aragorn. She wondered where he was, what he was doing. The only thing she was certain of was that he was still alive. Without him, nothing else seemed to matter.
Her father came into her room, calling out to her softly. "Arwen."
She quickly sat up as she turned to the sound of his voice. He was standing just inside the doorway, watching her with pity in his eyes.
"Arwen, it is time. The ships are leaving for Valinor. Go now... before it is too late," Elrond pleaded as he stepped farther into the room.
"I have made my choice," she said softly in reply, her voice void of any emotion.
"He is not coming back. Why do you linger here when there is no hope?"
"There is still hope," she insisted harshly
Elrond walked to the window, looking down at his now shrinking realm. He did not want to hurt is youngest daughter, but he felt his only option left was harsh words. His pleadings to both Arwen and Aragorn had gone unheeded in the past. So as Elrond gazed out the window, he explained to his daughter the cruelties of time.
"If Aragorn survives this war, you will still be parted. If Sauron is defeated, and Aragorn made king and all that you hope for comes true, you will still have to taste the bitterness of mortality. Whether by the sword or the slow decay of time, Aragorn will die," Elrond pronounced prophetically. "And there will be no comfort for you. No comfort to ease the pain of his passing. He will come to death, an image of the splendor of the kings of men in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world. But you, my daughter, you will linger on in darkness and in doubt. As nightfall in winter that comes without a star. Here you will dwell, bound to your grief, under the fading trees, until all the world has changed and the long years of your life are utterly spent." Elrond turned back to his daughter, tears glimmering in her eyes at his words. He knew she loved the man, but he was not willing to give his daughter to death. He had already lost one. Elrond would not lose them both. "Arwen... there is nothing for you here, only death. Do I not also have your love?" he asked as he sat beside Arwen on the bed.
"You have my love, father," she whispered as she leaned against him as he wrapped his arms around her.
****
Her father's words had scared Arwen. She had only ever thought of her life with Aragorn, knowing she did not want an eternity without him. She had never envisioned a future after his death. But she had seen her father's vision, where she was Queen, and Aragorn, her King, lay in a tomb. And so she had agreed to leave with the Elves of Imladris, to sail West.
It was when they had come to the fork in the road, the one that either led them west to the Grey Havens, or south towards Isengard, that Arwen began to have second thoughts. Was her love so selfish that she would abandon Aragorn so easily? She had always known he would die. Did she not love him enough to risk the end for all the time in between?
So as all the rest of her kin turned to the west, Arwen silently snuck away from the group. She headed south. She was not so foolish as to head toward the battles that lay ahead. No, she quickly turned east. Lorien was her destination. She needed her sister to help her figure out her mind. Mirriel was the only one who did not pressure Arwen to choose between her family and Aragorn. Mirriel was the only one who would not hate her if she chose her heart.
****
Mirriel had been desperately trying to contact Legolas again. After the vision lessened in her mind and the anxiety began to fade, she had spent the entire evening searching for him. It was after Galadrim had quieted for the evening that she felt his presence.
"My love," he whispered and Mirriel cried with joy at the reunion. But before she could tell him all the many things she wanted to say, of Mithrandir's return, the Council, her love for him, he said softly, his voice strained, "Someone is here, an old man." And then he was gone.
Mirriel spent the rest of the evening worrying over the happenings so far from her. She could only hope Mithrandir had found them. It had to be the Wizard, for who else could it be. She convinced herself of this as the dawn streaked its first rays into her room. And then she thought no more.
When Celebruthiel opened her eyes once again, Arwen was sitting beside her. At first she thought she was still dreaming, for Arwen could not be in Lorien.
"Hello Sister," Arwen whispered with a smile as she reached out and grasped Mirriel's hand. "You have been so far away from this room for most of the day."
"Legolas," she replied softly, her hand moving to the empty space in the bed where her husband should be. At his name, Arwen jumped onto the bed next to her.
"What of Legolas?" she asked quickly. "Do you have news? What of Aragorn? Please tell me you have heard from them."
Mirriel looked upon her sister's anxious face and sighed. She knew she must conceal her very brief meeting with Legolas last evening. Even in the safety of daylight, Mirriel had a bad feeling. There had been something in her husband's voice that had frightened her. She knew Legolas had information she was not privy to, information that would cause him concern over the appearance of an old man. What is was, she could not imagine.
And so Mirriel lied to her sister for the first time in her life. "Legolas made contact only briefly. They are still pursuing the Orcs in an attempt to rescue Pippin and Merry." Mirriel then went on to explain all that had occurred since she had last seen Arwen. Some of the information Arwen had already known, like the history of the Fellowships' progression to Galadrim and the separation of them after leaving Lothlorien. Her grandmother had also told her of Mithrandir's return from shadow. But Galadriel had not spoken of Mirriel's first connection with Legolas. She had left that for her daughter to explain to Arwen.
"So as far as I can tell, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are fine. We do not know of Frodo and Sam. That is unless my mother is hiding something from me. And I would not be surprised to find this to be true. She still treats me as if I were a child," Mirriel mumbled.
Arwen laughed in delight. "Now you know how I feel with Father," she stated as she leaned against her sister, almost pushing her off the bed. Mirriel immediately pushed back and the two soon became involved in a war over supremacy of the bed. It concluded in a toss-up and a fit of giggles.
"I am so happy you are here," Mirriel said as she looked down at her baby sister. "I have missed you so." She paused as she really looked into her sister's eyes. "Why are you here, Arwen?" she finally asked softly.
Arwen tore her gaze away, looking at the wall behind Mirriel. She quickly went on to explain all Elrond had told her and of the future she had envisioned. She was terrified of what could come to be, that was evident in her voice and before she could finish the tale, she was in tears.
"Oh sweetheart," Mirriel murmured as she hugged her sister to her. Arwen continued to cry against her shoulder as Mirriel patted her back. She rocked her slowly in her arms until Arwen's sobs lessened. Then she murmured, "Do you love him?"
Arwen's head popped up quickly. "Of course I do," she insisted.
"No, do you really love him?" Mirriel asked quietly.
"Why do you ask me this?" Arwen hissed as she got up from the bed angrily. "I thought you of all would not question my love for Aragorn. I thought you would understand."
"Well you were wrong, Arwen!" Mirriel replied harshly. "I have never understood your feelings for a Man."
Arwen looked to her sister in shock. 'This cannot be happening,' she thought, starring at Mirriel wildly. 'She has always understood me.'
Mirriel got up from the bed and rushed to her sister, grabbing Arwen by the shoulders. Arwen thrashed, trying to break away from Mirriel, but she only tightened her grip. "What I have understood is that love is indiscriminate. It chooses whom it may. Why, how, I do not know. What I do know is that if you truly loved Aragorn, we would not be having this discussion."
Suddenly Arwen stilled in her arms. "And if it was you, you would not question leaving your family, never to see them again"
"I am not sailing West, now am I?" Mirriel asked softly. Arwen pulled from her grasp and moved to stand before the window.
"It is not the same, for you will not grow old and die, never to see your kin again because of your love for Legolas," she whispered brokenly.
"Oh Arwen, is that what you fear? Or do you fear Aragorn leaving you alone?" Mirriel whispered as she approached Arwen, who stood with her back to Mirriel. "For I do not fear my own death. I fear Legolas'. To be left alone for an eternity, that is my greatest fear."
Arwen turned to Mirriel slowly, nodding. "And if he was to leave you, would you just sail West?" she asked. Arwen stared at her sister, wondering her answer. They had never spoken of such things before. Their talks had been of childhood fantasies, nothing more. Arwen felt as if they had past a threshold.
"I do not think I could continue on without him," Mirriel confided softly as she looked over her sister's shoulder into the bright afternoon sky. "Do you not see? The future matters not, for it is something I cannot change. But I would not give up a moment with him now because it could be all I have when this is done."
"What a mess we are," Arwen whispered as she rested her head on Mirriel's shoulder.
Mirriel nodded as the two stood silently, gazing out the window. Each contemplated her life and where the path was leading. Arwen was glad she had come, for Mirriel had helped her sort out her heart. She was still afraid of the future, of having to suffer thru Aragorn's death. This was something that would continue to haunt her throughout her life. But Arwen knew it was the price she would pay for love.
****
Later that morning, the news of Haldir's return reached Mirriel. Even though she was certain her mother would protest, Mirriel left her bed. She dressed quickly, taking no time to fret over her appearance. She was anxious to hear any news he might have from Imladris. She found him in the Great Hall, breaking his fast with Arwen and her father sitting at the table across from him. As Mirriel approached the table swiftly, Arwen looked at her with relief. Celeborn appeared to be berating her, if the way his arms waved around his body was any indication. Haldir looked on, nodding his head at each statement from Celeborn's lips.
"My sister, you will join us?" Arwen asked as she jumped to her feet. She kept raising her eyebrows and jerking her head toward the empty seat beside Haldir. It was a comical looking gesture and Mirriel had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She could only nod for fear of what would come out of her mouth if she opened it. Mirriel sat beside Haldir as Arwen resumed her place at the table.
"Haldir has just returned and he brings you news, Mirriel," Celeborn stated as he smiled at her from across the table.
"Please tell me what you have learned," Mirriel asked softly as she turned to Haldir expectantly. She was nervous, not certain if the news would be good or bad. She did not know how Mirkwood faired or if the Elven King would even want a message from her now that the truth had been revealed.
"I bear a gift for you from King Thranduil of Greenwood the Great," Haldir announced as he reached around his neck and unclasped a slender silver chain. As he handed the chain to Mirriel, she noticed two thin silver rings, intricately produced in the form of small leaves connected together. "There was a message." Haldir paused, his face lined in concentration as he recalled what he had been told to relay. "These were given into the care of Lord Elrond just two days before my arrival in Imladris. King Thranduil sends his congratulations on the marriage of his son. He declared it was high time the vows were spoken. His only regret was not being able to present his gift in person. He hopes you will accept his gift of love and loyalty by wearing the ring he had given his own dear wife so many years ago. It was her wish that their bands go to Legolas and his bride." Haldir finished his recitation with relief.
Mirriel stared at the rings in wonder. She had not expected such an endearing gesture from King Thranduil. Even though long ago he had been told the truth concerning her parentage, Mirriel still had not been certain of his reaction. She had not been entirely sure he had approved of her or the betrothal even though he had arranged it himself. But then King Thranduil had always been a difficult one to read.
"Well, are you not going to put it on?" Arwen asked as she watched the two rings swaying back and forth in front of Mirriel.
"No," she replied as she clasped the chain around her neck. "It does not seem right. I will wait until I see Legolas again. It is something we should do together."
Celeborn smiled at the wistfulness in his daughter's voice.
"Did Lord Elrond have any other messages?" Mirriel asked.
Haldir responded as he eyed Arwen with definite disapproval. "He was very vocal in his displeasure with his youngest daughter. He went into vivid detail ascribing the exact words I should use to express his irritation, but I do not see the need in repeating them once again."
"I bet he did," Mirriel murmured, glancing at her sister through hooded eyes. Arwen squirmed slightly, uncomfortable to be under such scrutiny.
Celeborn looked ready to jump back into the tongue-lashing he'd been giving Arwen when Mirriel approached. But before he was given a chance, Arwen stood and fled from the Hall. Mirriel reached across the table, placing her hand on top of her fathers. He griped hers lightly as he turned his questioning gaze to hers.
"We must all make our own way, Papa," she responded softly to his unspoken question. "Let her be."
"I should have known that you would side with Arwen," Celeborn accused.
"I side with no one," Mirriel stated. "But what happiness can come of forcing your will upon Arwen? If she is to sail West, it must be her decision. Otherwise, she would not survive the journey. Her sadness would consume her. And if she stays to be with Aragorn, we must also respect her choice." Mirriel paused as she studied her father's face. "Do not worry so," she began softly. "If Aragorn does not survive these dark times, Arwen will leave Middle Earth. This I have already pledged."
"And what of you, my daughter?" he questioned.
"I will do what I must to keep this promise, for if Aragorn does not survive, it is because neither has Legolas. I have always understood they will die defending each other. That is the way of it," she whispered.
Celeborn nodded, both in relief and sadness. He hoped it would not come to such dark days. But if it did, he was gladdened at the news that Mirriel would seek the safety of the Grey Havens. He squeezed her hand, quickly rising to his feet. Without a word, Celeborn left Mirriel and Haldir and exited the Hall.
"There was also a private message for you. I thought it best to wait until Lord Celeborn was no longer present," Haldir said as he reached inside his tunic and pulled out a small envelope, branded with the seal of Imladris. After he handed it to her, Haldir left her alone with her missive.
Mirriel tucked the envelope into her pocket and then fled from her parent's house. She stopped in the garden and sat at the same bench she had occupied with Mithrandir only days before. Pulling the envelope from her pocket, she spent quite some time just staring at the wax seal before she carefully opened the envelope. Mirriel pulled out a thick piece of parchment and immediately recognized Elrond's neat crisp handwriting as she began unfolding the letter.
My Daughter, I hope with the time that has stretched between our last meeting, you have found it in your heart to have forgiven me for sending you to your mother. By now, you have been told the story in full. Know this, you have never been less a daughter to me then Arwen. Celebrian and I loved you as if you were our own. That is why she led the Orcs away from you that day in Lothlorien. She would not risk your safety and so she gave them what they wanted, the daughter of Galadriel. Only it was not until later that they realized they had the wrong daughter. But it is of no matter, as not one of those followers of the Dark Lord survived their treacherous deeds. I know you feel deceived by us all. I can only hope you have gained some understanding as to why we concealed the truth all these years. We thought at the time that it would be for the best. And I still believe this to be true. I would do anything to keep you from harm. Since we still are not certain what will become of your parentage, I dread what the future holds for you, Kala. I beg you, if the Ringbearer fails, you must flee this land. We do not know what kind of power, if any, that the Dark Lord will be able to wield over you should he obtain the Ring. Long ago, I had a vision, one I have spoken of only to Thranduil. At the time, I did not see the rise of Barad dur. But I foresaw an evil that would creep over the world. It called to you, trying to envelope you in its thirst for darkness. Only one thing kept your heart pure, a Mirkwood warrior. I immediately sent a dispatch to Thranduil, requesting his presence. He arrived in Imladris with his Royal Guard. I was disappointed that the warrior in my vision was not among them. Thranduil returned to Mirkwood and I continued to try to gleam more about this Elf I had seen. It was purely by coincidence that I uncovered to my surprise his very existence. It was during the celebration of your sister's birth. I came down to greet our guests and there he sat at my dais. I realized my vision was of the warrior he would become, for at the time, he was still just an adolescent. Legolas was the warrior I saw. Thranduil was reluctant to give his son over to such a turbulent future. But we both knew what stood to be lost if we did not unite and gain strength early on before what I saw came to pass. Kala, what I saw both frightens me and gives me hope. For if Legolas survives this, I believe you will be safe. But if he does not survive, you must leave this place, for in his death lies your way to darkness. Middle Earth will stand or fall without your presence. There is nothing you can do to prevent fate from having its way in this. But you can save yourself and Middle Earth from what could occur if you were to falter in your resolve. So I beg you, Kala, take your sister and leave now. Sail West and wait for your husband there. Keep safe my Daughter, Your loving Father
A solitary tear slid down Mirriel's cheek as she folded the letter from her father. She had not realized the extent he had gone to just to keep her from harm. He had handpicked Legolas for one reason and one reason only; Elrond had foreseen the love they would share. So he had made certain Legolas would be tied to her.
Mirriel gave serious thought to her father's request. Maybe it would be better for all if she waited for Legolas in Valinor. Was she being selfish and risking the lives of all the peoples of Middle Earth just by her staying? Before her mind's eye lay a fork in the road of destiny. She had two options and no way of knowing which path was the correct choice.
That evening as Mirriel lay curled up in her bed, she tried to recall everything she had been told so far. She knew both of her fathers wanted her to sail to Valinor. Neither had made any attempts at hiding their desire. Her mother did not want her to stay in Middle Earth but had made no attempts to convince her to leave immediately. Of course, she did not know of Elrond's vision concerning what would occur upon Legolas' death. Would she change her opinion if she were to discover this? Probably. And then there was Mithrandir. The Wizard seemed to know more than he was sharing and he had told her to look away from Mordor to Isengard. Was that where she should be focused on? Was he trying to tell her more in his vague words?
Mirriel sighed loudly as she clutched Legolas' pillow closer to her body and inhaled deeply. It still carried his scent. She closed her eyes and seemed to lose herself in her memories.
****
She stood before the tower, noticing the base, which had once been covered in bright green ivy, was now the home of deadened branches. She reached out hesitantly, her fingers lightly brushing the stems. They crumbled at her touch. Sadly she looked at the tower as the smoke rose around her, rustling the hem of her gown. She felt the pain of the earth beneath her feet. It cried out to her, begging for relief. She wanted to run from the sound, but her feet would not budge. She was transfixed to that spot. She felt as if she was slowly becoming one with land, as if her very soul was draining from her body into the dying ground below her feet. She began to panic, her arms flaying around her body as she tried to force her feet to move, to run from this place, this destruction.
With a gasp, Mirriel sat up, finding herself still in her bed. The sheets clung to her body, a damp sheen covered her from head to toe. The dream had been so real. And this time, instead of just feeling sadness over the destruction, she had felt real fear. Had she just seen her own death? She could not say for certain. She had felt as if she was dying, but had not felt the deadly blow. Was this what her father had envisioned for her or was her mind playing tricks on her?
****
The next morning, Mirriel finally confided in her mother the dreams she had been having. She could not decide the meaning of them, if there was one, and she needed the opinion of another. Galadriel was the logical choice. Mirriel had hoped her mother would have the answers needed to clarify things, but she had none. Mirriel shook her head as she sat on the lounge on the veranda outside her father's study. Galadriel took a seat beside her and grasped her hand. Mirriel sighed softly as Galadriel squeezed her hand.
"I have been told what to do by everyone but you, Mother," she said softly. "Surely you have an opinion as to the path I should travel."
Galadriel was silent a moment as she studied her daughter, contemplating her words. "I cannot tell you which road to travel, Mirriel. I can say I would be much relieved if you left now. Especially after what you have just confided to me." Galadriel paused and Mirriel wondered if she had received her answer. "But you must follow your heart. Only you can decide the course you must take in all this, because we just do not know. What I want may not be what is for the best. My desire comes from my fear for your safety. But what if the danger I fear is only perceived in my mind. It must be your decision and we will all have to respect your choice."
Mirriel sighed again, this time in frustration. She just wished someone would tell her what to do, because she did not know what her heart was telling her. She only knew she did not want to leave Legolas, even for the safety of Valinor. But what good was sitting in Galadrim waiting for him to return doing her? She was of no use to anyone, not even herself. And all the questions were driving her insane.
****
The dream came to her again as soon as she closed her eyes that evening. It was the same as the night before. The tower stood before her, the dead ivy decaying on the blackened walls. The smoke still clung to her, grabbing at her clothing with invisible fingers. She tried to run from it, to the sanctuary of the tower door. She felt if she could make it inside, she would be safe. The ground called out to her as she slowly pried one foot then the other until she was moving forward. Behind her, quite some distance away, she could hear the cry of a long finished battle. The earth moaned for the dead, so many wasted lives. But she did not turn to look behind her. The door was almost before her. As she stretched out a hand, reaching for the knob, she noticed something was different. At the base of the tower stood one purple Weeping Lantana.
Mirriel opened her eyes slowly. This time she did not feel consumed by fear or anxiety over what she had seen. Only confusion resided in her heart, for upon seeing that flower, she had been filled with hope. That something so beautiful could grow in such despair. She did not understand what she was seeing or for what purpose. She suddenly remembered she had seen a blade of grass in the first vision. It had been in the same spot as the flower now stood. Was it a sign? Mirriel spent the rest of the night dissecting the three different dreams apart, trying to determine their meaning apart from each other and as a whole. She came to determine one thing; they meant something important.
****
Mirriel was still abed when the door to her room crashed open. She sat up in surprise as Arwen rushed into the room.
"My sister, you must rise," she whispered insistently, shutting the door behind her, and immediately began to rummage through Mirriel's wardrobe. She grabbed a pale blue dress and matching slippers then turned to regard Mirriel.
"What has occurred?" Mirriel asked anxiously but made no move to leave her bed. She watched Arwen set the dress and shoes on the foot of her bed.
"I overheard Grandmother talking to Grandfather," Arwen replied softly, glancing around the room as if she expected an unknown spy to jump out from the shadows. "I had gone to Grandfather's study to tell him of my decision, that I had chosen Aragorn." Mirriel smiled at Arwen's statement, though the words also saddened her. "I had not even gotten a chance to knock on the door when I heard Grandmother speak." Arwen began tugging at Mirriel's hand, attempting to get her to stand as she spoke.
"Arwen, calm yourself," Mirriel ordered in a soft but stern voice. "Sit."
Arwen stood beside the bed for a split second as if contemplating her sister's demand. And then she sank to the bed beside her.
"Now what did you hear?" Mirriel asked as she gently lifted Arwen's hair from around her face and smoothed it down her back. "It cannot be that bad."
Arwen turned to her and Mirriel saw the deep seeded fear in her sister's eyes.
"They were debating whether or not to let Middle Earth stand alone, without the aid of the Elves. Mirriel, Saruman will let loose his force from Isengard straight toward the people of Rohan," she hissed frantically.
Confused, Mirriel once again reached out, touching Arwen's shoulder. "Why concern yourself with Rohan? I do not understand."
Tears began to tumble over Arwen's lashes, flowing freely down her pale cheeks. "Yes, I thought only to worry about Gondor. And when Grandmother spoke of the eye of Sauron turning to Gondor, I thought I had never felt such fear. But then she said the words that shall live with me the rest of my days. Aragorn is not in Gondor. He will make for Helms Deep with King Theodden." Arwen paused and her breath hitched as she tried to control her tears before repeating the fateful words she'd heard. "To their doom."
"No!" Mirriel exclaimed as she jumped from the bed, gathering the dress Arwen had set out only moments before. She knew if Aragorn was with the Rohirrim people, so must be Legolas and Gimli. "You must have mistook her words," Mirriel hissed as she yanked the nightdress over her head and fought to get the blue dress quickly on in its place. She was struggling with the laces when Arwen gently touched her arm.
"I did not mistake her words," she whispered hoarsely.
"No," Mirriel stated again in the barest of whispers, denying the truth in her sister's story. Arwen nodded her head and Mirriel felt her knees buckle as she sank to the floor. Arwen quickly dropped to the floor beside her. They sat silently, clutching each other's hand, staring blankly at one another.
"What should we do?" Arwen finally asked. At first she wasn't even sure Mirriel heard her for she did not reply or indicate she was listening. When she finally did, it was not to answer Arwen's question.
"You said Mother and Father were debating over whether or not to take a stand in battle. Is this correct?" Mirriel asked, still staring at Arwen's face, but really seeing nothing.
"Yes," Arwen whispered.
"I will assume Father was against it," Mirriel stated, already fairly certain she knew where her parents stood on this issue. "And Mother would be for it. What I must do is give Father no choice in the matter. If I go to Helms Deep, he will send someone after me. If I get enough of a head start, he will feel the need to send an army if only to protect me." As Arwen watched her sister in stunned silence, Mirriel stood. "First I must speak with them. Then I will gather provisions and leave if need be."
Mirriel left the room without a backward glance, as if she had already forgotten her sister's even existence. Arwen still sat on the floor, considering the sheer conniving ness of her sister's mind. It was certain to achieve the intended results not only from Celeborn, but also from Elrond. Neither would willingly allow their daughter into the middle of a battle without sending assistance. And so with her decision made, Arwen left her sister's room.
****
Mirriel marched down the hall, determination marking her each step. She waved off the guard who stood sentry outside her father's study, indicating they were inside. Without knocking, she opened the door and stepped into the room. Galadriel and Celeborn looked up, startled by her sudden entrance. Both watched Mirriel curiously as she stood just inside the doorway studying them.
"Mirriel?" Galadriel questioned as her daughter just stood inside the threshold, starring at Celeborn, her eyes filed with accusations. And still Mirriel did not speak nor did she move. Her gaze never wavered from her father's face.
"What is it?" Celeborn asked as he stood from his chair before the roaring fire.
His movement caused Mirriel to finally react and she rushed into the room. "You must not let them die," she begged as she stopped in the middle of the study. At her words, Celeborn sank back into the chair. He brought his hand to forehead as if it pained him. He suddenly looked frail and uncertain but Mirriel steeled herself against this. She was going to do what it took to save Legolas and the others.
"What would you have me do?" he asked wearily as he lifted his head from his hand. He had been arguing with Galadriel about this very subject for what seemed like hours and he was tired.
"Send them help," she pleaded as she kneeled before her father, placing a hand on his knee.
"No!" Celeborn declared loudly as he stood, knocking Mirriel off balance and onto her backside. "I have already given your husband to the cause. I will not risk others on a quest that cannot be won."
Mirriel rose to her feet and then turned to face her father. "You gave no one," she hissed. She felt an overwhelming rage begin to consume her. She approached Celeborn, slowly, steadily like a cat stalking a mouse. "No, you sit here amid your beloved forest while the world around us falters. Legolas went on this mission because Elrond asked him to do so. You had nothing to do with it. My husband went with the Ringbearer in the hopes of saving me, while my own father does nothing!"
Galadriel stepped forward between father and daughter, effectively blocking a confrontation before they came face to face. Rage was pulsating from her daughter like Galadriel had never seen before from another Elf.
"That is enough, Mirriel," Galadriel said softly. "You must control yourself."
"Mother, step aside," Mirriel demanded. She paid little heed to her mother's words. She only knew her mother stood in the way of what she wanted.
"Enough!" Galadriel commanded.
She seemed to change form before Mirriel's very eyes, growing larger and more powerful, and Mirriel took a step backwards in surprise. As she turned from her parents, she realized her fists were clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms. She opened her palms and looked at them curiously, the indentions red and bleeding. She began to shake, a slight tremor that moved up her spine until her knees buckled. Mirriel would have landed on the floor had Celeborn not caught her around the waist. He helped her maneuver to a nearby chair and she sank into the cushion. Mirriel did not know what had come over her, but she'd felt such a fit of anger sweep over her, consuming her to the point where she'd felt nothing else. She truly believed if her mother had not stepped before her, she very likely would have lashed out at her father.
"I am so sorry, Papa," she whimpered in a small, broken voice.
"It is all right," he whispered as he kneeled before her, pulling Mirriel into his arms. He glanced at Galadriel, silently questioning Mirriel's behavior. He was not certain what had just occurred, but he too had felt the rage that had swept over the room in violent waves.
"It is not all right," she said tearfully. "When Arwen told me of."
"Arwen?" Galadriel interrupted as she sank to the floor beside Celeborn. "What has she to do with this?"
Mirriel lifted her head from Celeborn's shoulder and looked at her mother, trying to determine what she was asking. She blinked several times, vaguely wondering why Galadriel was asking before she realized neither knew of Arwen's eavesdropping.
"Arwen overhead you speak of the Rohirrim plight, of Aragorn. She woke me this morning to tell me of their doom at Helms Deep," Mirriel whispered.
"That little trouble maker," Galadriel murmured under her breath. Just before Mirriel had burst into the room, Galadriel had been fairly certain she had finally managed to get Celeborn's compliance regarding Helms Deep. Then Mirriel had stepped into the room, demanding her way and Celeborn had balked. Galadriel looked at her husband, but Celeborn glanced away from her, unwilling to meet her eyes. Galadriel sighed. "Mirriel, that is not all I have seen." Galadriel stood and walked in front of the fire. With her back to her daughter, she began, "With Saruman beginning his attack on Rohan, the eye of Sauron now turns to Gondor. His war on this country will come swiftly. He senses the ring is close. The strength of the Ringbearer is failing. In his heart, Frodo begins to understand the quest will claim his life. In the gathering dark, the will of the ring grows strong. It works hard now to find its way back into the hands of men. Men, who are so easily seduced by its power. The young captain of Gondor has but to extend his hands, take the ring for his own and the world will fall. It is close now, so close to achieving its goal."
"That is it then. It is over," Mirriel murmured sadly, giving into defeat finally. "All is lost and the Elves will flee, leaving Middle Earth to its doom."
Galadriel turned back to Mirriel, regarding her silently. She still sat in the comfort of her father's arms, but she seemed to have faded before them. "Do you give up so easily, my daughter? I seem to recall different words from you in this very room the night of your return to Galadrim."
Mirriel met her mother's gaze in confusion. She could not grasp exactly what her mother was saying. Galadriel watched her daughter with a piercing look, demanding Mirriel open her mind and let her mother in. Finally Mirriel glanced at her father and understood.
"I feel Arwen has strayed outside the borders of Lorien. What is this about?" Galadriel asked silently. She knew if she spoke the words out loud, Celeborn would immediately react. If this was some scheme between Arwen and Mirriel, she wanted to know of the purpose before having Celeborn fetch her some times impulsive granddaughter.
"What?" Mirriel asked sharply. She was clearly surprised. "You must be mistaken. She was not, I mean, it was, I mean." Mirriel sighed.
"I no longer sense her within the borders of Lothlorien," Galadriel replied, watching Mirriel closely.
Mirriel felt all blood drain from her face. Her mother must surely be confused because Arwen would never do something so foolish as run away. Suddenly Mirriel remembered Arwen had been foolish enough when she had fled the safety of Imladris.
"If anything happens to her," Mirriel began but could not continue as the prospect was too much to consider. "Oh curse my foolish tongue. It is my fault. When she told me of the fate of Helms Deep, I formulated a plan on how to get Father's compliance if reasoning with him did not suffice. It was never my intention for Arwen to leave."
"Of course it was not. You just intended to disobey Elrond and your father by leaving the safety of Lothlorien and hurling yourself into the thick of things," Galadriel commented dryly. Guilt consumed Mirriel and she dropped her eyes to the floor. "You planted a seed in Arwen's head that sent her fleeing from her home. And in doing so, you just might have succeeded in accomplishing your goal," Galadriel said with a small smile. Mirriel raised her eyes to her mother's face. "If Arwen has truly left, I suspect your father will send someone to retrieve her. As for Helms Deep, I will work on your father and Elrond. Leave us now, Mirriel, and let me break the news to your father."
Mirriel pulled herself from her father's arms. She kissed him on the cheek and then rose from the chair. She hugged her mother then left the room. Mirriel wasted no time returning to her room. She quickly changed into traveling clothes and grabbed a small pack, her bow, quiver, and arrows. As she was leaving her room, she paused as if remembering something. She glanced at her vanity and her eyes fell upon the music box. She quickly yanked the ribbon from her neck, unthreading the key. Before she allowed herself to question her actions, she opened the box, grabbed the Ring, and slid it on her finger. Then she rushed from her room, heading for the kitchen. She rummaged through the pantry, grabbing what food she could that would not perish easily. She slipped what she could in the pack, slung it over her shoulder then quickly flitted through the city, taking care not to be seen. She did not feel she had safely traveled unseen until she reached the Anduin River.
Mirriel had no doubts as to her sister's present location and as she reached the river, she found one of the boats to be missing. Without even giving her actions a second thought, knowing she could be heading to her own death (and if not, her father would certainly kill her upon her return), Mirriel threw her supplies in the nearest boat, untied it, and began quickly pushing it in the gently moving river.
"Just where are you going?" a voice called out behind her.
Mirriel cursed under her breath at her ill luck. She contemplated trying to outrun those standing behind her, but Mirriel knew she would most likely not be able to get the boat in the water and herself inside it before she was overtaken. With a sigh, she dropped her hands to her side and slowly turned to face Haldir, Rumil, and Orophin.
"What do you think I am doing?" she asked pointedly. "I am going after Arwen."
"Are you mad?" Rumil questioned loudly. Orophin also looked as if he thought she'd lost all sense. Only Haldir seemed unsurprised.
"Maybe I am," Mirriel replied with a shrug. "But unless you plan on physically stopping me, help me get this boat in the water. Arwen already has a far distance on me. I must be quick if I am to catch up." She turned back to the boat, tensely waiting to see what the three brothers would do.
Haldir stepped forward and Mirriel flinched as he touched her elbow. She figured she'd lost the bet and was confused when he searched her face. After a brief moment, Haldir dropped her arm and bent to the boat.
"Haldir?" Orophin questioned as Mirriel felt relief seep through her every fiber.
Haldir ignored his brother as he looked at Mirriel. "You understand if I return from this alive, Lord Celeborn will have me mucking out the stables for the rest of my days," he stated, a grim look set like granite on his face.
"I understand I will be right beside you," she replied with a grin.
He smiled back before glancing back at his brothers. "Are you coming?" he asked, raising one brow at the two just standing motionless with their mouths hanging open. "It is out duty to protect the Princess, is it not?"
This sent the two brothers into action as they scurried to another boat. Soon both boats were in the water, heading down the stream.
****
Galadriel watched as her husband paced the length of the Great Hall. Soon he would have a hole worn through her rug if he kept up his current position, she thought. Interestingly enough, Galadriel was not as concerned as her husband over the disappearance of their granddaughter. She briefly gave thought to the absence of any worry, but was distracted when the door suddenly opened loudly as Tirgon rushed into the hall.
"Any word?" Celeborn asked as he stopped to look at Tirgon.
Tirgon shook his head forcefully. "I have even more distressing news, my Lord," he proclaimed anxiously.
Celeborn's heart sank at the lack of news. He didn't know what could be more distressing than Arwen's disappearance. He was almost afraid to learn this new development.
"We have discovered three boats missing at the Great River," Tirgon explained.
"Three boats?" Celeborn questioned in confusion. "How could Arwen have taken three boats?"
"That is not all, my Lord. The Princess is also missing, and no one can locate Haldir, Rumil, or Orophin either."
"What!" Celeborn exclaimed angrily and all those in Galadriem flinched at the sound.
****
"Why were we cursed," Celeborn asked of his wife later, when it became evident that Mirriel was truly gone, "to have bred two foolish children, who in turn gave life to more foolish children? What have we done to deserve such?"
"At least she had the forethought to take Haldir, Rumil, and Orophim with her. They will keep her safe," Galadriel reassured as she caressed her husband's cheek.
"I hope you are correct," he whispered sorrowfully. "I truly hope you are."
****
For the rest of the first day and night they steadily pursued Arwen down the Anduin. By Mirriel's estimates, Arwen had only a half-day lead on them. She could not imagine Arwen using an oar the whole way down river, instead letting the current carry her along. So Mirriel hoped they would overtake her before she reached shore.
The landscape changed from bare woods so thick no glimpse of the land behind them could be seen to the Brown Lands on the eastern shore. Nothing but formless slopes, brown and withered, lay between Southern Mirkwood and the hills of the Emyn Muil. Mirriel could not imagine what destruction had swept over the land, killing everything in its path. But it gave her an indication of the hatred behind the force of Mordor. She shivered and turned her gaze to the western shore. To the west lay the green north plains of the Riddermark. And that gave her some comfort, though not as much as she'd have liked.
Daylight was just approaching on the second day when Haldir called her name softly. It was the first time he had spoken in several hours and Mirriel was concentrating so diligently on keeping her strokes strong and even, she almost missed his whisper.
"Haldir?" she questioned as she turned to look back at him.
"Mirriel, you should rest for a spell," he suggested. He had been watching Mirriel for some time as she continued with the frantic pace she had set for them. Haldir was worried she would tire herself out before they reached shore and their real journey began.
"I am fine," she replied as she turned back to the front of the boat and continued rowing at a steady pace.
With a frown, Haldir reached forward, yanking the oar from her hands. Mirriel whipped around in her seat, the look on her face a mixture of confusion and anger.
"I cannot have you wearing yourself out so quickly," he explained calmly, unaffected by her hard questioning look. "We do not know how far we must travel before overtaking your foolish sister." His reasoning seemed to have little effect and Mirriel opened her mouth to argue with him. "We shall take turns," Haldir stated before she could get a reply out of her mouth. His tone boasted no arguments. Mirriel opened her mouth once again to protest before quickly snapping it shut and nodding briskly. She wiggled down in the boat, trying to get comfortable. She tightly squeezed her eyes closed, attempting to shut out the turmoil her life had become.
****
The landscape was always the same; the dark tower, the blackened ground. Only this time, Mirriel was inside the tower. She walked from room to room, searching for a way out. She felt there was something still in the tower, a presence that had not been vanquished and it was stalking her. She tried to open each door she encountered but her efforts were all in vain. She felt trapped and the lack of clean air caused her to panic. She made her way to the top of the tower, where in the center stood a black pedestal, covered by a gray cloth, streaked with dirt and grime. Mirriel reached her hand out to touch the cloth then backed away as she noticed an open doorway on the other side of the pedestal. She ran to it, walking through the doorway, finding herself on a balcony overlooking a large ominous hole. Below her stood many Elves, their blackened faces looked up at her, crying out in help, begging for release. Their wailing filled her with dismay. She backed away from the horrifying sight, feeling the presence directly behind her. To afraid to turn around and confront whatever was behind her, she ran back to the balcony. She suddenly noticed in the distance stood one solitary tree, the bright green leaves a vivid contrast to the darkness surrounding it.
She opened her eyes with a gasp.
"Mirriel?" Haldir questioned softly as he touched her arm. Mirriel glanced around frantically, expecting to still be surrounded by death and destruction. "Mirriel?" he asked again as he watched her closely. It was obvious something had distressed her.
It took Mirriel a moment for her mind to register that Haldir was no longer in the boat. The sun was fading from the sky and darkness would soon be upon them. Haldir and Rumil were in knee-deep water, pulling the boat to shore. Mirriel shook her head and smiled at Haldir. He gave her one last look of disbelief before he returned his concentration to beaching the boat. She did not want to speak of what she had seen, not while it was still so vivid in her mind.
"Why have we stopped?" Mirriel asked as she watched the three brothers pull the boat onto the rocky shore.
"We have reached the point were the Limlight joins the Great River. We cannot be certain exactly where Arwen will make for shore and continue on land. And without the help of the stars, there is always the possibility that we will miss her discarded boat. We do not even know if she will continue to drift down the Great River or try to travel up the Limlight. Hopefully with the dawn, we will at least be able to ascertain the answer to that. To lose her at this point would be disheartening," Haldir explained as Rumil reached a hand out to Mirriel, helping her from the boat. She nodded at Haldir's assessment. Behind her, Orophim tied up both boats while Rumil set up a perimeter for camp. Haldir began going through their items, taking what was needed out of the boats for the night.
With the dawn came a quick survey of their surrounding. Orophim noticed some odd looking markings on the ground, that of an unknown beast similar to those seen following the Fellowship in Lorien.
"Gollum," Mirriel stated as she bent down beside Orophim, studying the prints. "It must be him. Frodo spoke of seeing him on the journey. Gollum must have picked up their trail once they left Lorien and continued to pursue them."
"Who is this Gollum?" Rumil asked nervously. He remembered the beast with the red eyes and was uncertain if he should be on guard against such a creature.
"I do not know precisely what Gollum is, only that he was the creature from whom Bilbo took the Ring. I do not think he is of any concern to us. He follows the Ring and since it is not the Ring that we seek, he will leave us alone. Anyway, Frodo is long gone from this place and I am certain Gollum is also," Mirriel replied as she stood. "We should really get moving." She set her sights on the boat and began trying to push it from the shore. Rumil stepped forward and lent his shoulder to her pursuit. Orophim went to work on the other boat.
Instead of helping Orophim, Haldir said from behind Mirriel, "Get in. Rumil and I will get the boat afloat."
Mirriel sighed but did what she was told. She did not feel like arguing with Haldir over something so trivial. Once they were once again on their way, it soon became apparent that Arwen would not have tried to maneuver her boat up the Limlight. The current would have made it difficult for two, but impossible for just one.
It did not take long before the Anduin broadened and grew shallow. The four soon realized that they were going to lose time trying to navigate the rocks to keep from crashing against the river bottom. Mirriel only hoped they had slowed Arwen down more dramatically, for two pair of eyes had to be better than one. But she was also aware they were going to lose any ground they had gained by having to stop every night.
It was well into day three when the plains turned to hilly rocky land. Crumbling cliffs on both sides guaranteed that Arwen would not have been able to stop anywhere along the river so the four felt safe in continuing their journey through the night and into day four. The river took a turn around noon, growing more steadily fast paced. Far off in the distance a rumbling could be heard and Mirriel believed the Sarn Gebir must be near. Arwen would not have risked the falls and Mirriel started to become concerned that maybe they had already missed her somehow.
Dusk was quickly approaching when the Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings long forgotten, came into view. Mirriel felt a lump in her throat. She thought of Aragorn and of the path ahead of him. So uncertain was he of his own future and so ashamed of his past. It made Mirriel want to weep for him. Arwen would have felt even more unsettled by the giant stone guardians. Once they had cleared the statues, the cliffs faded away to rocky beaches and dense trees lining the shore. The sounds of the fall ahead where becoming more pronounced and it took some effort to keep the boats from careening forward. They made their way closer to shore. That is when they noticed the boats on the western shore.
Two boats were easily spotted. Mirriel shook her head, silently questioning the absence, for even if these were the boats of the Fellowship and not Arwen, there was still one boat missing. Haldir, easily judging her thoughts, tapped her shoulder, pointing to the lone boat resting on the eastern shore. As they jumped from their boats, quickly pulling them on the western shore bank, Mirriel realized this was where the Fellowship had separated. They had been forced to leave some of their possessions behind in their haste and Mirriel easily recognized Legolas' pack in one of the boats.
"This was the boat used by Legolas and Gimli," Mirriel said as she ran a hand lovingly down the side of the boat. Mirriel had to force herself away from the boat. "The other," she said as she motioned to the boat on the other side of the river, "is Frodo's. This is were they split, Frodo heading east and Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli headed west, tracking the Orcs." The second boat was curiously empty and Mirriel stepped closer, looking for clues. She reached out, tentatively touching the boat. "This was Arwen's," she said as relief filled her from head to toe. "She must have seen the abandoned boats and realized what they were also." Mirriel paused before murmuring, "I do not understand why one boat is missing."
That statement was left hanging in the air as Orophim emerged from the surrounding woods. "Her trail heads west. She has only a minimal lead. If we hurry, we should overtake her before dawn."
With that pronouncement, they grabbed their meager provisions and gave chase through the forest. It was a steep, rocky incline that seemingly never ended. Suddenly they were surrounded by death, the bodies of many Orcs lay scattered around them, abandoned and forgotten. Arrows protruded from some of the carcasses while others had obviously met their end by the steel of a sword.
"This is an Elven arrow," Rumil observed as he yanked one from the chest of an Orc, "flown from a Lorien bow. Legolas was here."
Mirriel absently nodded, having already guessed as much. She knew of the battle that had occurred, where the Hobbits had been taken and Boromir had died. She wondered if this was the spot he had taken his last breath. With that thought, the missing boat suddenly made sense. Aragorn would not have taken the time to bury Boromir, but neither would he have left his body to rot with such filth. They must have sent him down the Falls of Rauros in the hope that his body would find it's way down stream to Minas Tirith, where his family could give him the proper burial he deserved.
They continued on their way, hoping they had not lost too much time in their assessment of the battle. They crested the steep incline and paused to see their path led down a difficult decline filled with rocks and sharp ruts. They carefully began to descend, leaving the Anduin far behind. At the foot of the stony hills, Orophim paused, bending to the ground.
"She went that way," he pointed to a path that led northward through the Emyn Muil. "As far as I can tell, she is so far following the trail the others left behind."
Orophim took the lead with the others following. The trail was difficult to navigate and they came to the top of one steep ridge only to find another at its foot. This pattern continued throughout the night. They stopped to rest briefly at a small stream that wound it's way through Emyn Muil. Here as they ate some lembas and filled their almost empty flasks, Rumil voiced his surprise that they had not overtaken Arwen yet.
"She surely knows someone will come after her, so she will not slow her pace unless forced to do so. And right now we are probably moving at the same pace," Mirriel murmured thoughtfully as she munched on a piece of the Lorien bread. "She believes she is on a noble quest- to save Aragorn. We can only hope something forces her to a halt soon if we are to catch her. I had expected to do so before we reached land. Now we can only pray our stamina outlasts hers."
"I am beginning to believe Lord Elrond gave his daughters too much freedom," Orophim muttered under his breath as he knelt beside the stream, filling his flask.
"I fear you are probably correct in your assessment," Mirriel replied with a laugh. "It has turned us into wayward uncontrollable creatures."
Orophim snorted in agreement as Rumil nodded his head. Both still could not believe they were chasing after their Lord and Lady's granddaughter halfway across Middle Earth. Haldir hid his smile behind his pack as he pretended to be busy organizing his possessions.
They felt refreshed after the short rest and continued on, hoping they would soon exit Emyn Muil and be able to make up lost time on flatter ground. With the dawning of the sun came a surprise. They crowned the top of a rather difficult hill to find it sloped down into a valley and to their left was the East Wall of Rohan. The four Elves scanned the lush green plains of the Rohirrim in the hopes of seeing Arwen in the distance. Far ahead, like a speck of dirt on the sky, there was something moving quickly. Was it Arwen? They could not be certain, but it gave Mirriel hope. The figure was headed west, in the direction of the Gap of Rohan and Helms Deep. Mirriel began to descend with the three brothers following behind.
At the bottom, Rumil took the lead with Orophim, Mirriel, and then Haldir following. Even in their frantic pursuit of Arwen, the three brothers never forgot their first priority was to protect the Princess. And they were especially anxious as they traveled over the gently sloped fields where they could be easily spotted from a distance.
Orophim had some difficulty distinguishing Arwen's trail from that of the large party of Orcs that had traveled through with the two Hobbits. Her footprints seemed to weave around the large trail of blackened trampled grass with those of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. But he managed to spot just enough to be assured they were heading in the right direction.
As the afternoon sun rained down on them, the trail left behind by those before them took a sudden turn to the north. The four paused, Orophim studying the area for signs of Arwen's intentions. Finally, he gave a shout and the other three ran to him.
"The Orcs headed that way, with Legolas following," Orophim stated as he pointed north. "But Arwen did not stray from the western course. So we go toward the Onodlo (Entwash)." He sprang forward with Rumil at his side. Mirriel and Haldir followed closely behind.
"Let us hope the Onodlo has slowed your sister down," Haldir stated as he glanced at Mirriel. "For at the rate we are going, I do not know if we will overtake her before she reaches the Gap of Rohan. And I am concerned for her safety that close to Isengard."
Mirriel looked back at Haldir, slightly surprised over his concern of Isengard. "I truly do not think Isengard will concern itself with one Elf. Saruman has his eye on a much bigger prize."
"And what of you?" he asked. "Are you a big enough prize for the sights of Saruman?"
Mirriel shrugged. She did not know if Saruman still had grand plans of capturing her and using her against Galadriel and Elrond. Mirriel could only hope Saruman thought her out of range and had given it up as a lost cause.
On the banks of Onodlo, there they encountered Arwen. She was trying to cross the swiftly moving river on a log, using her hands to paddle.
"That fool is going to drown," Rumil hissed as they stood on the banks, trying to decide what to do.
"We have two options," Haldir stated as they watched Arwen, who was too busy trying to navigate the river that she had not even noticed their presence. "We can try to cross here and likely get ourselves killed. Or we can cross farther upstream and hope to catch her on the other side."
Mirriel watched for a moment, trying to gauge the possibility of any of them making it across. She was afraid if she took her eyes from Arwen's struggling figure, she would return to find her gone, drowned in the hissing water.
"We cross farther upstream," she finally responded, saying a silent prayer that Arwen managed to cross Onodlo unscathed. But Mirriel also recognized what Arwen was trying to accomplish and knew if neither of them survived the crossing, Helms Deep was doomed, for Celeborn would have no reason to send aid.
Haldir nodded at her reply and led the way upstream, to Entwade, where the river could be navigated more easily. When they returned to the spot Arwen had been trying to cross, she was nowhere to be seen. A sob of frustration escaped Mirriel as the three brothers fanned out, looking for anything to confirm she had made it safely across. Mirriel just stood staring at Onodlo, wondering if her sister was somewhere under its depths. She was pulled from her reverie by Rumil's call. Mirriel glanced around looking for the direction Rumil had taken. Roughly 20 paces downstream, he had dropped to his knees and Mirriel took off running in his direction. When she reached his side, there was Arwen lying on the muddy riverbank.
"Please tell me she lives," Mirriel begged as she tumbled to the ground beside Rumil. She grabbed Arwen to her chest and called her name. "Arwen, don't you do this to me. I cannot do this on my own."
"Mirriel," Haldir said softly as he touched her arm, "she still breathes."
As he spoke, a gurgling noise came from Arwen's slight frame and then a deep cough. Mirriel squealed with relief as she pulled back from Arwen to roll her on to her side, letting her cough up the water she had ingested. Then she pulled Arwen back to her, wiping the wet hair from Arwen's face.
"Mirriel, would you let me be," a raspy voice finally said. Mirriel looked down in surprise and laughed as she realized Arwen was looking up at her. "Are you trying to smother me?"
"Why you ungrateful little brat!" Mirriel said in mock anger as she let go of the struggling Arwen. Then she smiled brightly at her baby sister. "Don't ever scare me like that again." Mirriel rose from the ground with Arwen, lending her support as she tried to get to her feet.
For the first time, Arwen looked around, noticing Mirriel was not alone. "I should have known you would bring them with you," she muttered as she broke away from Mirriel.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Mirriel questioned. "If I had not, they would not have allowed me to make this journey after you."
"No one asked you to," Arwen said testily.
"You are correct. No one did. But I thought it best that I find you before Father did. Arwen, he is angry enough over you fleeing from Imladris. What were you thinking? Never mind, I know what you were thinking of, but you should not have left."
"And what should I have done, Mirriel? Sit and let Aragorn die?"
"Of course not. But now what? I have risked much coming after you and still I do not know what it will accomplish," Mirriel said softly as she touched Arwen's arm gently.
"Are you saying you left Lorien without Grandfather's approval?" Arwen asked softly, a tinge of a smile on her lips. At least she would not be the only one confined to her rooms when she was finally caught.
Mirriel sighed. "Of course Papa did not let me leave." She pointed to the three brothers before continuing, "And they will be in just as much trouble." Rumil and Orophim shifted uncomfortably at the prospect of facing Celeborn's wraith. Haldir, who had the most to lose, was the only one who seemed unconcerned.
"So what do we do now?" Arwen asked quietly, wondering if her sister was going to drag her back to Lorien.
Mirriel stood silent a moment, staring off into the direction they had come. She finally turned to Arwen. "We make for the Gap of Rohan."
"What?" Orophim sputtered in disbelief.
"Are you truly so foolish?" Rumil asked as he reached out, grabbing Mirriel's arm to gain her attention.
"Going back now will not accomplish our goal. We must continue on," Mirriel stated calmly as she watched Rumil.
Rumil looked back at Haldir, waiting for him to intercede. But Haldir only asked, "And what exactly is our goal?"
"Aid to Legolas and Aragorn at Helms Deep. We must hope that Arwen's disappearance will be enough to persuade Father to send help," Mirriel replied softly, wondering just what decision Haldir would make. Would he help them or force them to return to Lorien? She was not sure.
Haldir silently studied the sisters. They formed a united front, very determined in carrying out their plan. But he knew it was folly. Neither Lord Celeborn nor Lord Elrond would be willing to send aid. And even if they did, would it really make a difference? Finally Haldir nodded slowly. He understood Mirriel would always be his one weakness. He knew he could deny her nothing, even if it went against everything he believed.
Arwen gave a sigh of relief as Rumil and Orophim sputtered and protested. Mirriel watched Haldir quietly before returning his nod.
"We must move quickly if we are to make it to the Gap of Rohan. We do not want to get in the path of the Uruk-Hai." Haldir leaped into action, sprinting forward. The others quickly followed behind, all protests silenced by his sudden action.
