Disclaimer: I own Eli and the particular way the words in this story are put together. Everything else, I don't own.
Authors Note: OK, Aragorn has way too many fricking names. Aragorn, Elessar, Strider, Estel...blerg. I'm surprised he doesn't have identity problems yet...
Thank-you to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to do so! Reviews really do help me keep going with a story. :) If I don't get reviews, I invariably stop writing...
------------------------------
-No Eyes Needed-
------------------------------
-Chapter II-
-To The Palace-
------------------------------
Ranora had known something would come of Eli's talking to the Ranger that day. When Jahon had come home and reported that Eli had been speaking with stranger's again, Ranora's first response had been to scold her foster daughter. But when Eli insisted that the Ranger was really the King, Ranora had had to let up. The child was stubborn, and Ranora had long ago given up trying to change the her mind when she had decided something about someone. Still, Ranora instinctively knew that the incident was not at an end, and her instinct was proved right when one of her friends reported that a Ranger had been about, asking questions about Eli. The Ranger had soon had to leave the city, however, as rumours had started flying as to why he was asking after Eli. But Ranora knew that wasn't the end of it, and so she waited for something more to happen.
But of all the things Ranora had expected to happen, she had NOT expected the Queen's personal handmaiden, Lady Mariwen, to come to her door with a request from the Queen to meet Eli.
"Why?" was Ranora's first response, and then she blushed, knowing it was not her place to question the Queen's wishes. But the handmaiden just smiled, and then answered.
"She has heard some interesting things about the child and would like to meet her herself to see if they are true." Lady Mariwen said. Ranora, still in shock, remained silent for a few moments, and the handmaiden took it as hesitation.
"It will only be for an afternoon, and you do not need to come if you are too busy. I shall escort the child myself." Lady Mariwen encouraged.
"No, there is no need for that. I shall bring Eli myself." Ranora said emphatically.
"Good." Lady Mariwen said, smiling warmly. "Would tomorrow afternoon be all right?"
"Of course." Ranora replied, returning the handmaiden's smile.
"Wonderful. I shall be waiting for you at the gates." Lady Mariwen said as she rose, and Ranora followed the woman to the door. She said a polite goodbye and curtseyed to Lady Mariwen, who returned both before turning to her two guards and heading off. Ranora, in a daze, shut the door behind the handmaiden and went back to the main room where they'd been sitting. She stood in the doorway for a few moments, then strode into the kitchen and poured herself a small glass of her husband's best liquor, downing it in one gulp, and went to see what she and Eli had that would be suitable to wear for a visit to the Queen.
---
Ranora stopped just before the street leading to the Palace gates, running a critical eye over both herself and Eli, making sure they were presentable. Eli must have sensed that they were going somewhere important, however, and she had walked along calmly, holding Ranora's hand, without a single complaint or fidget, and she looked the same as when they had left the house. Now Ranora just hoped Eli would remain as calm inside the palace. The girl tended to be skittish around new people and in new places, but there was nothing Ranora could do about that now, other then give Eli a warning, and she'd already done that before they left the house.
So now, certain that Eli and herself were as presentable as possible, Ranora stood, taking Eli's hand again, and led her around the corner and up the street to the Palace. As promised, Lady Mariwen was waiting at the gate, and with a warm smile for both of them, she quickly led them past the guards and into the palace. Leading them through a maze of hallways and rooms, the handmaiden finally stopped at a closed door.
"Ready?" she asked Ranora and Eli with a smile, and Ranora took a deep breath and nodded, while Eli clung to her hand with wide eyes. Lady Mariwen smiled again, and then turned and knocked lightly on the door. A musical voice answered with a simple "Enter", and Lady Mariwen opened the door and ushered Ranora and Eli in.
Once inside, Ranora held back a gasp. She'd seen the Queen once or twice before, but only from far away. Now she was standing no more then ten feet from Arwen Undómiel, and the beauty of the mortal half-Elven lady left her in awe. A small tug on her hand brought her back to the present, and she glanced down to see Eli curtseying deeply. Blushing slightly, she hastily followed suit.
"Ranora and Elisandra Chastra, m'Lady." Lady Mariwen introduced, and Arwen smiled, hiding her slight surprise. She'd known what to expect for the child, Aragorn had let her look into his memories to see what Elisandra looked like, but she was quite surprised by the mother. Ranora Chastra was almost the complete opposite of her daughter, with tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. Her facial features were also very different, as was her bodies build, and Arwen wondered what Ranora's husband must look like for Elisandra to look as she did.
"Rise." Arwen said smoothly, then motioned to the two chairs opposite her as the woman and child straightened. "Come and sit." Ranora led the Elisandra to one of the chairs, lifting her into it, and then sat in the other. The room was silent for a moment as Arwen inspected the two more thoroughly, noting with surprise that Elisandra met her gaze almost perfectly, though she knew that the child could not actually see her.
"Fetch us some tea, Mariwen." Arwen told her handmaiden after a moment, and the lady curtseyed and left.
"You are probably wondering why I asked you here." Arwen said, turning her attention back to the woman Ranora. Ranora nodded hesitantly.
"I am, Your Majesty." she said, and Arwen steepled her fingers as she leaned slightly forward in her chair, much as she'd seen her father do many times before.
"You have heard about my husband's meeting with your daughter?" Arwen asked, and a look of pure surprise passed over Ranora's face.
"I had, Your Majesty, but if you will forgive me, I thought it no more then a child's tale." the woman replied politely.
"It was not, obviously." Arwen said, smiling slightly as she saw the triumphant look on Elisandra's face as she looked at her mother. "And it has raised some questions. Elessar was dressed as a Ranger when he met her, and yet she still recognized him." Arwen let her voice go up slightly at the end, almost as if in a question, indicating that she wished Ranora to elaborate on the subject. But, to her surprise, it was Elisandra who spoke up.
"He didn't look any different to me!" the child said, simply rephrasing what Aragorn had said the child had told him when he'd asked how she recognized him.
"What do you mean?" Arwen asked curiously, turning her attention to the child. Elisandra wavered suddenly under Arwen's gaze, but then straightened and answered.
"I saw him when he entered the city, and Jahon pointed him out to me. And he still looks the same." she replied, then added a belated "Your Majesty." Realizing that her current line of questioning was leading in circles, Arwen tried a different approach.
"And what does he look like to you?" she asked. Elisandra looked at her in surprise, then hesitated and scrunched her brows together, as if trying to remember.
"He looks - white. And bright green. And noble and wise." the child answered, frowning slightly, and Arwen's eyes widened a fraction. While she hadn't been expecting a normal description of her husband, she had also certainly not been expecting a rough description of his fëa, which, to her knowledge, only she had ever seen.
At that moment, Mariwen returned with the tea, calmly setting it down on the table between the three chairs. Taking in Arwen's slightly stunned expression, Mariwen took over the roll of hostess, offering the tea to Ranora, who politely accepted, and then poured a cup for Arwen, gently putting it in her hands. Drawing in a shaky breath, Arwen sipped her tea, and let the smooth mint flavour calm her. Mariwen seemed to eye Arwen for a moment, and Arwen was obliged to smile reassuringly at her handmaiden before the woman relaxed.
Turning her attention back to the two guests in front of her, Arwen kept the reassuring smile on her face as she saw Ranora's nervousness. Elisandra, surprisingly, looked concerned. Arwen looked back at the child over her cup of tea, and watched as the concern slowly turned to relief, and then Elisandra nodded, as if to herself.
"Elisandra, what do you see when you look at me?" Arwen asked curiously as the child's face steadied into a patient expression. Elisandra, to her surprise, didn't even blink in surprise before replying.
"Light. Evening. Age. Blue." the child seemed to be naming off things as she saw them, and looked as if she would continue with the list, but didn't, instead saying shyly, "There's more, but I don't know the words for them." It was enough for Arwen, however, to recognize her own fëa being described.
"Has she always seen like this?" Arwen asked Ranora, and the woman started slightly at the attention suddenly being shifted to her.
"No, Your Majesty. Two years ago, near the end of October, she got sick with a fever, and when she awoke she seemed to see nothing but living creatures." the woman replied.
"What was the date, exactly?" Arwen asked, suddenly going still as she anticipated the answer.
"When she fell sick? October the 25th, I believe. It was afternoon, and she suddenly just collapsed with a fever." Ranora answered, and Arwen sucked in a breath. Somehow she doubted it was a coincidence that the child lost her sight the same day that her father held his council to decide that fate of the One Ring. But she needed to be sure, first, that this sort of thing hadn't happened before.
"Does she have a history of sickness?" Arwen asked, and Ranora glanced at the child, seemingly unsure for the first time.
"Not that I know of, Your Majesty, but Elisandra has only been in my care for three years." Ranora replied after a moment.
"She is your foster child?" Arwen asked, not in the least surprised after noticing the two's difference in looks.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Her mother was a dear friend of mine, and when she died she asked me to take care of Eli. She was only two at the time, and close in age to one of my own children, and I readily agreed. I've raised her as my own ever since. Though Eli has always known that I'm not her real mother." Ranora replied. Arwen leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea again, inspecting Elisandra, who was fidgeting slightly, and ran over what she had found out about the child. As the girl began to look distinctly bored, Arwen came to a decision. She probably should have waited and talked it over with Aragorn first, but she knew he would agree with her in this case.
"Mariwen, could you please take Elisandra to the gardens for a short while?" Arwen asked, and Mariwen nodded, reaching out a hand to Elisandra, who slid off her chair happily, curtseyed to Arwen, and then grabbed Mariwen's hand and let herself be led out. As soon as Mariwen's footsteps had faded from Arwen's hearing, she turned to Ranora, whose expression was a mixture of alarm and curiosity.
"Ranora, Elisandra has a very unusual gift. What she described seeing Elessar and I as was very close to our fëa's - our souls." Arwen said, and Ranora gasped lightly, her eyes darting to the door through which Mariwen and Elisandra had left. "Tell me, do you know who her father was?" There was a pause as Ranora thought, but then she shook her head.
"No, Your Majesty. I know her mother traveled quite a lot before she had Eli, but as far as I know, she was never married. It was quite a scandal when it was discovered that she was pregnant." Ranora said, and Arwen nodded thoughtfully. The was a moments silence before Arwen spoke again.
"Ranora, I would like to foster Elisandra in the Palace, if it's possible. Her sight will be both a blessing and a curse to her as she grows, and I would like to help her learn how to deal with it. I'd also like my father to meet her." Arwen said, and then waited while the human woman recovered from her shock.
"I'm sure Elisandra's mother would be honoured to have her daughter fostered here, Your Majesty!" Ranora finally said, looking a little dazed, and Arwen nodded, smiling.
"When can you have her ready to move here? I would like it to be as soon as possible. Since she is blind, she will need time to learn her way around the Palace, and I would like her to do so while she is still young, as it will be easier then." Arwen asked.
"I can have her ready within a week, Your Majesty." Ranora replied promptly, and Arwen nodded, putting down her tea.
"Very well then." the Queen said, then rose as she continued. "Come, let us join Elisandra and Mariwen in the gardens." Ranora stood, and then fell into step behind Arwen as she left the room.
Authors Note: OK, Aragorn has way too many fricking names. Aragorn, Elessar, Strider, Estel...blerg. I'm surprised he doesn't have identity problems yet...
Thank-you to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to do so! Reviews really do help me keep going with a story. :) If I don't get reviews, I invariably stop writing...
------------------------------
-No Eyes Needed-
------------------------------
-Chapter II-
-To The Palace-
------------------------------
Ranora had known something would come of Eli's talking to the Ranger that day. When Jahon had come home and reported that Eli had been speaking with stranger's again, Ranora's first response had been to scold her foster daughter. But when Eli insisted that the Ranger was really the King, Ranora had had to let up. The child was stubborn, and Ranora had long ago given up trying to change the her mind when she had decided something about someone. Still, Ranora instinctively knew that the incident was not at an end, and her instinct was proved right when one of her friends reported that a Ranger had been about, asking questions about Eli. The Ranger had soon had to leave the city, however, as rumours had started flying as to why he was asking after Eli. But Ranora knew that wasn't the end of it, and so she waited for something more to happen.
But of all the things Ranora had expected to happen, she had NOT expected the Queen's personal handmaiden, Lady Mariwen, to come to her door with a request from the Queen to meet Eli.
"Why?" was Ranora's first response, and then she blushed, knowing it was not her place to question the Queen's wishes. But the handmaiden just smiled, and then answered.
"She has heard some interesting things about the child and would like to meet her herself to see if they are true." Lady Mariwen said. Ranora, still in shock, remained silent for a few moments, and the handmaiden took it as hesitation.
"It will only be for an afternoon, and you do not need to come if you are too busy. I shall escort the child myself." Lady Mariwen encouraged.
"No, there is no need for that. I shall bring Eli myself." Ranora said emphatically.
"Good." Lady Mariwen said, smiling warmly. "Would tomorrow afternoon be all right?"
"Of course." Ranora replied, returning the handmaiden's smile.
"Wonderful. I shall be waiting for you at the gates." Lady Mariwen said as she rose, and Ranora followed the woman to the door. She said a polite goodbye and curtseyed to Lady Mariwen, who returned both before turning to her two guards and heading off. Ranora, in a daze, shut the door behind the handmaiden and went back to the main room where they'd been sitting. She stood in the doorway for a few moments, then strode into the kitchen and poured herself a small glass of her husband's best liquor, downing it in one gulp, and went to see what she and Eli had that would be suitable to wear for a visit to the Queen.
---
Ranora stopped just before the street leading to the Palace gates, running a critical eye over both herself and Eli, making sure they were presentable. Eli must have sensed that they were going somewhere important, however, and she had walked along calmly, holding Ranora's hand, without a single complaint or fidget, and she looked the same as when they had left the house. Now Ranora just hoped Eli would remain as calm inside the palace. The girl tended to be skittish around new people and in new places, but there was nothing Ranora could do about that now, other then give Eli a warning, and she'd already done that before they left the house.
So now, certain that Eli and herself were as presentable as possible, Ranora stood, taking Eli's hand again, and led her around the corner and up the street to the Palace. As promised, Lady Mariwen was waiting at the gate, and with a warm smile for both of them, she quickly led them past the guards and into the palace. Leading them through a maze of hallways and rooms, the handmaiden finally stopped at a closed door.
"Ready?" she asked Ranora and Eli with a smile, and Ranora took a deep breath and nodded, while Eli clung to her hand with wide eyes. Lady Mariwen smiled again, and then turned and knocked lightly on the door. A musical voice answered with a simple "Enter", and Lady Mariwen opened the door and ushered Ranora and Eli in.
Once inside, Ranora held back a gasp. She'd seen the Queen once or twice before, but only from far away. Now she was standing no more then ten feet from Arwen Undómiel, and the beauty of the mortal half-Elven lady left her in awe. A small tug on her hand brought her back to the present, and she glanced down to see Eli curtseying deeply. Blushing slightly, she hastily followed suit.
"Ranora and Elisandra Chastra, m'Lady." Lady Mariwen introduced, and Arwen smiled, hiding her slight surprise. She'd known what to expect for the child, Aragorn had let her look into his memories to see what Elisandra looked like, but she was quite surprised by the mother. Ranora Chastra was almost the complete opposite of her daughter, with tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. Her facial features were also very different, as was her bodies build, and Arwen wondered what Ranora's husband must look like for Elisandra to look as she did.
"Rise." Arwen said smoothly, then motioned to the two chairs opposite her as the woman and child straightened. "Come and sit." Ranora led the Elisandra to one of the chairs, lifting her into it, and then sat in the other. The room was silent for a moment as Arwen inspected the two more thoroughly, noting with surprise that Elisandra met her gaze almost perfectly, though she knew that the child could not actually see her.
"Fetch us some tea, Mariwen." Arwen told her handmaiden after a moment, and the lady curtseyed and left.
"You are probably wondering why I asked you here." Arwen said, turning her attention back to the woman Ranora. Ranora nodded hesitantly.
"I am, Your Majesty." she said, and Arwen steepled her fingers as she leaned slightly forward in her chair, much as she'd seen her father do many times before.
"You have heard about my husband's meeting with your daughter?" Arwen asked, and a look of pure surprise passed over Ranora's face.
"I had, Your Majesty, but if you will forgive me, I thought it no more then a child's tale." the woman replied politely.
"It was not, obviously." Arwen said, smiling slightly as she saw the triumphant look on Elisandra's face as she looked at her mother. "And it has raised some questions. Elessar was dressed as a Ranger when he met her, and yet she still recognized him." Arwen let her voice go up slightly at the end, almost as if in a question, indicating that she wished Ranora to elaborate on the subject. But, to her surprise, it was Elisandra who spoke up.
"He didn't look any different to me!" the child said, simply rephrasing what Aragorn had said the child had told him when he'd asked how she recognized him.
"What do you mean?" Arwen asked curiously, turning her attention to the child. Elisandra wavered suddenly under Arwen's gaze, but then straightened and answered.
"I saw him when he entered the city, and Jahon pointed him out to me. And he still looks the same." she replied, then added a belated "Your Majesty." Realizing that her current line of questioning was leading in circles, Arwen tried a different approach.
"And what does he look like to you?" she asked. Elisandra looked at her in surprise, then hesitated and scrunched her brows together, as if trying to remember.
"He looks - white. And bright green. And noble and wise." the child answered, frowning slightly, and Arwen's eyes widened a fraction. While she hadn't been expecting a normal description of her husband, she had also certainly not been expecting a rough description of his fëa, which, to her knowledge, only she had ever seen.
At that moment, Mariwen returned with the tea, calmly setting it down on the table between the three chairs. Taking in Arwen's slightly stunned expression, Mariwen took over the roll of hostess, offering the tea to Ranora, who politely accepted, and then poured a cup for Arwen, gently putting it in her hands. Drawing in a shaky breath, Arwen sipped her tea, and let the smooth mint flavour calm her. Mariwen seemed to eye Arwen for a moment, and Arwen was obliged to smile reassuringly at her handmaiden before the woman relaxed.
Turning her attention back to the two guests in front of her, Arwen kept the reassuring smile on her face as she saw Ranora's nervousness. Elisandra, surprisingly, looked concerned. Arwen looked back at the child over her cup of tea, and watched as the concern slowly turned to relief, and then Elisandra nodded, as if to herself.
"Elisandra, what do you see when you look at me?" Arwen asked curiously as the child's face steadied into a patient expression. Elisandra, to her surprise, didn't even blink in surprise before replying.
"Light. Evening. Age. Blue." the child seemed to be naming off things as she saw them, and looked as if she would continue with the list, but didn't, instead saying shyly, "There's more, but I don't know the words for them." It was enough for Arwen, however, to recognize her own fëa being described.
"Has she always seen like this?" Arwen asked Ranora, and the woman started slightly at the attention suddenly being shifted to her.
"No, Your Majesty. Two years ago, near the end of October, she got sick with a fever, and when she awoke she seemed to see nothing but living creatures." the woman replied.
"What was the date, exactly?" Arwen asked, suddenly going still as she anticipated the answer.
"When she fell sick? October the 25th, I believe. It was afternoon, and she suddenly just collapsed with a fever." Ranora answered, and Arwen sucked in a breath. Somehow she doubted it was a coincidence that the child lost her sight the same day that her father held his council to decide that fate of the One Ring. But she needed to be sure, first, that this sort of thing hadn't happened before.
"Does she have a history of sickness?" Arwen asked, and Ranora glanced at the child, seemingly unsure for the first time.
"Not that I know of, Your Majesty, but Elisandra has only been in my care for three years." Ranora replied after a moment.
"She is your foster child?" Arwen asked, not in the least surprised after noticing the two's difference in looks.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Her mother was a dear friend of mine, and when she died she asked me to take care of Eli. She was only two at the time, and close in age to one of my own children, and I readily agreed. I've raised her as my own ever since. Though Eli has always known that I'm not her real mother." Ranora replied. Arwen leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea again, inspecting Elisandra, who was fidgeting slightly, and ran over what she had found out about the child. As the girl began to look distinctly bored, Arwen came to a decision. She probably should have waited and talked it over with Aragorn first, but she knew he would agree with her in this case.
"Mariwen, could you please take Elisandra to the gardens for a short while?" Arwen asked, and Mariwen nodded, reaching out a hand to Elisandra, who slid off her chair happily, curtseyed to Arwen, and then grabbed Mariwen's hand and let herself be led out. As soon as Mariwen's footsteps had faded from Arwen's hearing, she turned to Ranora, whose expression was a mixture of alarm and curiosity.
"Ranora, Elisandra has a very unusual gift. What she described seeing Elessar and I as was very close to our fëa's - our souls." Arwen said, and Ranora gasped lightly, her eyes darting to the door through which Mariwen and Elisandra had left. "Tell me, do you know who her father was?" There was a pause as Ranora thought, but then she shook her head.
"No, Your Majesty. I know her mother traveled quite a lot before she had Eli, but as far as I know, she was never married. It was quite a scandal when it was discovered that she was pregnant." Ranora said, and Arwen nodded thoughtfully. The was a moments silence before Arwen spoke again.
"Ranora, I would like to foster Elisandra in the Palace, if it's possible. Her sight will be both a blessing and a curse to her as she grows, and I would like to help her learn how to deal with it. I'd also like my father to meet her." Arwen said, and then waited while the human woman recovered from her shock.
"I'm sure Elisandra's mother would be honoured to have her daughter fostered here, Your Majesty!" Ranora finally said, looking a little dazed, and Arwen nodded, smiling.
"When can you have her ready to move here? I would like it to be as soon as possible. Since she is blind, she will need time to learn her way around the Palace, and I would like her to do so while she is still young, as it will be easier then." Arwen asked.
"I can have her ready within a week, Your Majesty." Ranora replied promptly, and Arwen nodded, putting down her tea.
"Very well then." the Queen said, then rose as she continued. "Come, let us join Elisandra and Mariwen in the gardens." Ranora stood, and then fell into step behind Arwen as she left the room.