Disclaimer: See previous chapters.
Authors Note:
*looks at the reviews for the last chapter with wide eyes* Well, I guess my 'threat' worked... *sics Legolas on basically all the reviewers but Duke Storm* *watches as it really becomes more of the reviewers siccing Legolas* Ahem...yes.
So, in other news, I hate the following chapter. I dunno why. But I wrote it and I suddenly realized that I hated it. It gets where I want it to get, it includes what I want it to include, but I hate it. Really strange, actually. I can't remember hating any chapter of a story before, but, I hate this one. Stupid chapter. *whaps chapter* As a side note, the sudden jump is simply because I don't feel like having the journey scraggling along anymore...
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-No Eyes Needed-
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-Chapter XIX-
-The One and Only Sparklie Rivendell-
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Nothing was said the next morning as to the arrangements of the night before as the three companions ate a scarce breakfast and then packed up camp and continued on their journey to Rivendell. In the late afternoon, however, Gimli became impatient for an explanation as to why Elisandra was now able to direct her own horse. So Legolas pulled slightly ahead of Elisandra and explained to his friend - simply and with as little words and revelation of personal matters as possible - what had occurred. When Legolas was done, no more was heard from the Dwarf for the rest of the day. Indeed, in the days after, the Dwarf was unusually silent - in fact, they all were - though he treated Elisandra no different then before. Though he did now insist that she take part in setting up and taking down camp.
And so the three companions settled into an easy routine of traveling, moving quickly and unnoticed by all but animals in the wilderness, and setting up camp for only as long as was needed. Legolas himself was surprised by how quickly they moved, and attributed it to the fact that they spent so little time at camps. They were often in their night time camps to short a time to have more than two watches, in fact.
As to Legolas and Elisandra's relationship, no move was made by either to further or discuss it in any manner. They usually slept side by side when Gimli was on watch, but that was the extent of their romantic interactions. After their initial night of passion, they seemed to have fallen into an easy relationship akin to that of incredibly close friends. If it bothered either of them, neither mentioned it.
Elisandra and Gimli's relationship remained as they had before, surprisingly. They argued over everything but food and annoying Legolas - which they seemed to take extreme pleasure in now. More than once the Elf Prince contemplated putting Gimli on the back of Elisandra's horse and spurring it into a gallop before turning his own horse and galloping in the opposite direction. Then he contemplated Aragorn's reaction when he heard, and he quickly decided that contemplating would only get him in trouble, and so, stopped contemplating.
And so, eventually, they came to the borders of Rivendell - three close companions, two constantly driving the other insane when not bickering between themselves. It was the snickering of the border guards that actually alerted Legolas to having crossed the borders of Rivendell, as Elisandra and Gimli were taking turns asking every five seconds if he knew where he was going and if they were lost and what was for supper and so on and so on. Legolas, with a sigh, rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the guards, instead riding right past them. As it was a time of peace, and Legolas was an Elven Prince - and probably expected, anyways - the guards let them pass without a challenge.
Legolas, Elisandra and Gimli camped one more night, not far inside the borders of Rivendell, and as they packed up the next morning, Legolas announced that they would reach Rivendell by noon. That excited Gimli and Elisandra very much, and the subject of the beauties of Rivendell was added to the short list of subjects that could be discussed between Elisandra and Gimli without resulting in an argument. So they talked about Rivendell until they came within sight of it, and Legolas was forced to once again take Elisandra's reins as she looked around with open-mouthed shock. Gimli and Legolas, themselves, hadn't been to Rivendell since the War of the Ring, and now they looked down on it thoughtfully, memories of their last times there floating through their minds.
The three travelers pulled their minds back to the present, however, when they reached the main courtyard of what was still called the House of Elrond, despite the fact that he was now in Valinor. Elladan and Elrohir claimed they couldn't be bothered to decide whether it should become the House of Elladan or the House of Elrohir or the House of Elladan and Elrohir or the House of Elrohir and Elladan. Everyone just accepted that excuse and refrained from commenting that there had been nothing that the twins couldn't be bothered to do before.
Waiting for the three travelers in the courtyard, apparently expecting them, was Elrohir himself. Elisandra looked at the twin for a few moments, then, unable to tell which one he was, closed her eyes for a moment so she could see his fëa. Once she figured out it was Elrohir, she opened her eyes again and hopped off her horse - something she'd become more adept at now that she could see - and promptly enveloped her uncle in a huge hug, while Legolas and Gimli watched with amusement.
"It is good to see you, as well, Elisandra." Elrohir said dryly after Elisandra had released him.
"You haven't been to the palace in YEARS. How do you expect me to greet you?" Elisandra said admonishingly.
"With a huge hug, of course!" Elrohir replied, suddenly grinning. At that point, Legolas and Gimli, having handed the two horses off to the grooms, came over.
"Welcome back to Rivendell, Prince Legolas, Master Gimli." Elrohir said gravely as he turned to them, bowing slightly. Legolas and Gimli returned the bow just as gravely, and then they all smiled.
"Come, there are others waiting to greet you before you can rest from your journey." Elrohir said. He offered his arm to Elisandra, which she took, and led them into the house.
"I must confess, we were worried about you arriving here safely." Elrohir commented as they walked. "We have heard rumors of Orc trouble around Isengard, and only a few days ago, a guard who claimed to have come from your escort came galloping in on a half-dead horse. He claimed you'd been attacked and had to scatter in order to escape."
"He was right. Though we three managed to stick together." Legolas replied.
"Only because I wouldn't have gotten very far on my own and you'd need a sharper sword than there's the craft to make to separate you and Gimli." Elisandra commented, causing Elrohir to chuckle.
"Indeed." Elrohir said with a grin. "And let us not forget how many giants you'd have to coerce into helping to pull Legolas away from his Rohirric stead!" Legolas just shook his head and smiled wryly, already fearing for his sanity if Elladan and Elrohir teamed up with Elisandra and Gimli to drive him insane.
There was only a short moment of silence before they arrived at a small receiving room, which Elrohir lead them into. Waiting for them was not only Elladan - who was already enveloped in a bear hug by Elisandra - but Lord Celeborn, as well. Legolas and Gimli both bowed to the lord, and Elisandra, after registering his presence and discovering who he was, curtseyed politely. Lord Celeborn, to all of their surprise, returned Elisandra's curtsey with a bow of the same depth, signifying that he saw no difference in rank between them. Elisandra looked uncertainly to Legolas, but he was just as lost as her.
"I have heard much about you, Elisandra. It is nice to finally meet you." Celeborn said, smiling lightly to put Elisandra at ease. She was still incredibly confused, however, and resorted to flicking her eyes closed for a few seconds to read his fëa. All she saw was welcome tinged with curiosity, and she relaxed as she opened her eyes, smiling.
"I can assure you I have heard much more about you." she said. "And it is equally nice to finally meet you."
"And what tales have you been telling the poor girl?" Celeborn said suspiciously, looking to his two grandsons. They looked back innocently.
"Nothing that anyone else has heard." Elladan said, in such an innocent tone of voice that Celeborn had to pause and think about it before realizing what Elladan had said. When he did, he looked at the twin admonishingly before returning his gaze to Elisandra, who was struggling not to laugh.
"I would suggest you believe only half of whatever they've told you about me." Celeborn said dryly.
"I shall believe the good half, then." Elisandra replied with a grin, and Celeborn nodded, smiling in reply to Elisandra's grin.
"Now perhaps our guests would like to freshen up before we have lunch?" Elladan suggested.
"If I can have a bath, I'm all for it!" Elisandra said emphatically, and Elladan chuckled.
"Of course you can!" he said, and then offered his arm to lead Elisandra out of the room. She took it, and Elladan motioned for Legolas and Gimli to follow as he set off out of the room and down the hall. As they left, none noticed the sharp gaze with which Elrohir watched his foster-niece.
---
Elisandra sighed happily as she slid into the hot bathwater. She hadn't had a bath of any sort since the one that had ended so interestingly with Legolas, and she hadn't had a hot bath since she left Minas Tirith. The water felt extremely good. As she relaxed, the handmaiden that had been waiting to help her started cleaning her hair. Though Elisandra could now clean her own hair perfectly fine, she let the handmaiden go about her business while she fell to thinking.
Things had gone well among the small group of her, Gimli and Legolas as they traveled to Rivendell. After the first few private discussions - Elisandra was sure Gimli and Legolas had had a private discussion about how she had regained her sight - they had accepted that Elisandra had no idea how she had regained her sight, and no more was said on it. It was endearing as well that while Legolas said no more of their relationship or what state it might be in, he still could not seem to sleep apart from her at night. Elisandra really didn't mind, since she realized after the first few nights that if he didn't purposely set his bedroll down next to hers, she'd set her down next to his.
But she was still confused about this relationship with Legolas thing. It also didn't help that as their journey had progressed, a suspicion that her night with Legolas had caused her sight to return had grown - it really was the only explanation if you thought about it, anyways, and she was surprised Legolas hadn't thought of it and approached her about it. All in all, she was wishing that there was someone around that she could talk to about the whole matter.
That, oddly enough, brought her thoughts to Rivendell. It was wonderful to see her uncles again. Elisandra frowned slightly as she realized that even though she had long since stopped calling Aragorn and Arwen 'father' and 'mother', she could not stop thinking of Elladan and Elrohir as her uncles. She supposed it was a whole lot safer that way, anyways. She remembered Arwen once telling her that the twin's criteria for who they could play jokes on or tease was anyone not related to them. And if tales were to be believed, they hadn't stopped playing jokes or teasing non-family members even now that they were joint Lords of Rivendell.
As wonderful as it had been to see her uncles again, however, Elisandra had been quite startled to find Lord Celeborn there to greet her. She had been even more startled when he had bowed to her, suddenly at a loss without the ability to see his fëa and know what he was thinking. Having discovered a few days after she regained her normal sight that she could see fëa's when her eyes were closed, Elisandra logically decided to let her eyes close for a few moments to get a general idea of what Lord Celeborn was feeling. It had been strange to see his fëa - she remembered very little of Lord Elrond from his one visit to the palace before he'd sailed into the West, but Arwen had told her once that she had complained that his fëa was bright. Well, Lord Celeborn's fëa was definitely bright - and oddly silver in colour. It had also been strangely guarded. She could see his surface thoughts and feelings, but she could feel that there was much more that she couldn't see, and it disturbed her almost as much as Legolas' seeming ability to occasionally hide his fëa from her.
Elisandra frowned lightly again at that, even as she let the handmaiden help her out of the bath and dry her off before starting to dress her. Elisandra still hadn't gotten around to asking Legolas about how he'd managed to block her from seeing his fëa, and wasn't quite sure about how to broach the subject. She was used to Aragorn and Arwen guarding their feelings around her so she didn't feel to out of place, but Legolas had managed to completely block out all his feelings. And with Lord Celeborn - it had been like Arwen and Aragorn, only not. They were very clearly NOT thinking of or feeling anything that would make her uncomfortable - a remarkable feat in and of itself - while Lord Celeborn was clearly thinking and feeling things that he did not want her to see, and somehow managed to stop her from seeing them. Elisandra wondered if perhaps it was not due to the years he had spent with Galadriel. After all, she was rumored to have been able to read minds and feelings, and Elisandra's ability to see fëa's resulted in basically the same thing.
As the handmaiden finished dressing Elisandra and generally readying her for public eye, she shook her head to clear it of the thoughts. Just as the handmaiden finished, as if timed, there was a knock on the door, and a moment later the door opened to reveal Elrohir.
"Are you finally ready for lunch?" he asked, trying to look annoyed, but the teasing in his voice ruined it.
"Yes, Uncle, I am." Elisandra said, smiling as she stood.
"Then perhaps you would allow me to escort you there?" Elrohir said, offering Elisandra his arm.
"I can think of no better escort!" Elisandra said, still smiling. She quickly went to where he waited, took his arm, and after Elrohir waved cheerfully to the handmaiden, they were off to lunch.
\/---Reviews are appreciated, yes they are!---\/
Authors Note:
*looks at the reviews for the last chapter with wide eyes* Well, I guess my 'threat' worked... *sics Legolas on basically all the reviewers but Duke Storm* *watches as it really becomes more of the reviewers siccing Legolas* Ahem...yes.
So, in other news, I hate the following chapter. I dunno why. But I wrote it and I suddenly realized that I hated it. It gets where I want it to get, it includes what I want it to include, but I hate it. Really strange, actually. I can't remember hating any chapter of a story before, but, I hate this one. Stupid chapter. *whaps chapter* As a side note, the sudden jump is simply because I don't feel like having the journey scraggling along anymore...
------------------------------
-No Eyes Needed-
------------------------------
-Chapter XIX-
-The One and Only Sparklie Rivendell-
------------------------------
Nothing was said the next morning as to the arrangements of the night before as the three companions ate a scarce breakfast and then packed up camp and continued on their journey to Rivendell. In the late afternoon, however, Gimli became impatient for an explanation as to why Elisandra was now able to direct her own horse. So Legolas pulled slightly ahead of Elisandra and explained to his friend - simply and with as little words and revelation of personal matters as possible - what had occurred. When Legolas was done, no more was heard from the Dwarf for the rest of the day. Indeed, in the days after, the Dwarf was unusually silent - in fact, they all were - though he treated Elisandra no different then before. Though he did now insist that she take part in setting up and taking down camp.
And so the three companions settled into an easy routine of traveling, moving quickly and unnoticed by all but animals in the wilderness, and setting up camp for only as long as was needed. Legolas himself was surprised by how quickly they moved, and attributed it to the fact that they spent so little time at camps. They were often in their night time camps to short a time to have more than two watches, in fact.
As to Legolas and Elisandra's relationship, no move was made by either to further or discuss it in any manner. They usually slept side by side when Gimli was on watch, but that was the extent of their romantic interactions. After their initial night of passion, they seemed to have fallen into an easy relationship akin to that of incredibly close friends. If it bothered either of them, neither mentioned it.
Elisandra and Gimli's relationship remained as they had before, surprisingly. They argued over everything but food and annoying Legolas - which they seemed to take extreme pleasure in now. More than once the Elf Prince contemplated putting Gimli on the back of Elisandra's horse and spurring it into a gallop before turning his own horse and galloping in the opposite direction. Then he contemplated Aragorn's reaction when he heard, and he quickly decided that contemplating would only get him in trouble, and so, stopped contemplating.
And so, eventually, they came to the borders of Rivendell - three close companions, two constantly driving the other insane when not bickering between themselves. It was the snickering of the border guards that actually alerted Legolas to having crossed the borders of Rivendell, as Elisandra and Gimli were taking turns asking every five seconds if he knew where he was going and if they were lost and what was for supper and so on and so on. Legolas, with a sigh, rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the guards, instead riding right past them. As it was a time of peace, and Legolas was an Elven Prince - and probably expected, anyways - the guards let them pass without a challenge.
Legolas, Elisandra and Gimli camped one more night, not far inside the borders of Rivendell, and as they packed up the next morning, Legolas announced that they would reach Rivendell by noon. That excited Gimli and Elisandra very much, and the subject of the beauties of Rivendell was added to the short list of subjects that could be discussed between Elisandra and Gimli without resulting in an argument. So they talked about Rivendell until they came within sight of it, and Legolas was forced to once again take Elisandra's reins as she looked around with open-mouthed shock. Gimli and Legolas, themselves, hadn't been to Rivendell since the War of the Ring, and now they looked down on it thoughtfully, memories of their last times there floating through their minds.
The three travelers pulled their minds back to the present, however, when they reached the main courtyard of what was still called the House of Elrond, despite the fact that he was now in Valinor. Elladan and Elrohir claimed they couldn't be bothered to decide whether it should become the House of Elladan or the House of Elrohir or the House of Elladan and Elrohir or the House of Elrohir and Elladan. Everyone just accepted that excuse and refrained from commenting that there had been nothing that the twins couldn't be bothered to do before.
Waiting for the three travelers in the courtyard, apparently expecting them, was Elrohir himself. Elisandra looked at the twin for a few moments, then, unable to tell which one he was, closed her eyes for a moment so she could see his fëa. Once she figured out it was Elrohir, she opened her eyes again and hopped off her horse - something she'd become more adept at now that she could see - and promptly enveloped her uncle in a huge hug, while Legolas and Gimli watched with amusement.
"It is good to see you, as well, Elisandra." Elrohir said dryly after Elisandra had released him.
"You haven't been to the palace in YEARS. How do you expect me to greet you?" Elisandra said admonishingly.
"With a huge hug, of course!" Elrohir replied, suddenly grinning. At that point, Legolas and Gimli, having handed the two horses off to the grooms, came over.
"Welcome back to Rivendell, Prince Legolas, Master Gimli." Elrohir said gravely as he turned to them, bowing slightly. Legolas and Gimli returned the bow just as gravely, and then they all smiled.
"Come, there are others waiting to greet you before you can rest from your journey." Elrohir said. He offered his arm to Elisandra, which she took, and led them into the house.
"I must confess, we were worried about you arriving here safely." Elrohir commented as they walked. "We have heard rumors of Orc trouble around Isengard, and only a few days ago, a guard who claimed to have come from your escort came galloping in on a half-dead horse. He claimed you'd been attacked and had to scatter in order to escape."
"He was right. Though we three managed to stick together." Legolas replied.
"Only because I wouldn't have gotten very far on my own and you'd need a sharper sword than there's the craft to make to separate you and Gimli." Elisandra commented, causing Elrohir to chuckle.
"Indeed." Elrohir said with a grin. "And let us not forget how many giants you'd have to coerce into helping to pull Legolas away from his Rohirric stead!" Legolas just shook his head and smiled wryly, already fearing for his sanity if Elladan and Elrohir teamed up with Elisandra and Gimli to drive him insane.
There was only a short moment of silence before they arrived at a small receiving room, which Elrohir lead them into. Waiting for them was not only Elladan - who was already enveloped in a bear hug by Elisandra - but Lord Celeborn, as well. Legolas and Gimli both bowed to the lord, and Elisandra, after registering his presence and discovering who he was, curtseyed politely. Lord Celeborn, to all of their surprise, returned Elisandra's curtsey with a bow of the same depth, signifying that he saw no difference in rank between them. Elisandra looked uncertainly to Legolas, but he was just as lost as her.
"I have heard much about you, Elisandra. It is nice to finally meet you." Celeborn said, smiling lightly to put Elisandra at ease. She was still incredibly confused, however, and resorted to flicking her eyes closed for a few seconds to read his fëa. All she saw was welcome tinged with curiosity, and she relaxed as she opened her eyes, smiling.
"I can assure you I have heard much more about you." she said. "And it is equally nice to finally meet you."
"And what tales have you been telling the poor girl?" Celeborn said suspiciously, looking to his two grandsons. They looked back innocently.
"Nothing that anyone else has heard." Elladan said, in such an innocent tone of voice that Celeborn had to pause and think about it before realizing what Elladan had said. When he did, he looked at the twin admonishingly before returning his gaze to Elisandra, who was struggling not to laugh.
"I would suggest you believe only half of whatever they've told you about me." Celeborn said dryly.
"I shall believe the good half, then." Elisandra replied with a grin, and Celeborn nodded, smiling in reply to Elisandra's grin.
"Now perhaps our guests would like to freshen up before we have lunch?" Elladan suggested.
"If I can have a bath, I'm all for it!" Elisandra said emphatically, and Elladan chuckled.
"Of course you can!" he said, and then offered his arm to lead Elisandra out of the room. She took it, and Elladan motioned for Legolas and Gimli to follow as he set off out of the room and down the hall. As they left, none noticed the sharp gaze with which Elrohir watched his foster-niece.
---
Elisandra sighed happily as she slid into the hot bathwater. She hadn't had a bath of any sort since the one that had ended so interestingly with Legolas, and she hadn't had a hot bath since she left Minas Tirith. The water felt extremely good. As she relaxed, the handmaiden that had been waiting to help her started cleaning her hair. Though Elisandra could now clean her own hair perfectly fine, she let the handmaiden go about her business while she fell to thinking.
Things had gone well among the small group of her, Gimli and Legolas as they traveled to Rivendell. After the first few private discussions - Elisandra was sure Gimli and Legolas had had a private discussion about how she had regained her sight - they had accepted that Elisandra had no idea how she had regained her sight, and no more was said on it. It was endearing as well that while Legolas said no more of their relationship or what state it might be in, he still could not seem to sleep apart from her at night. Elisandra really didn't mind, since she realized after the first few nights that if he didn't purposely set his bedroll down next to hers, she'd set her down next to his.
But she was still confused about this relationship with Legolas thing. It also didn't help that as their journey had progressed, a suspicion that her night with Legolas had caused her sight to return had grown - it really was the only explanation if you thought about it, anyways, and she was surprised Legolas hadn't thought of it and approached her about it. All in all, she was wishing that there was someone around that she could talk to about the whole matter.
That, oddly enough, brought her thoughts to Rivendell. It was wonderful to see her uncles again. Elisandra frowned slightly as she realized that even though she had long since stopped calling Aragorn and Arwen 'father' and 'mother', she could not stop thinking of Elladan and Elrohir as her uncles. She supposed it was a whole lot safer that way, anyways. She remembered Arwen once telling her that the twin's criteria for who they could play jokes on or tease was anyone not related to them. And if tales were to be believed, they hadn't stopped playing jokes or teasing non-family members even now that they were joint Lords of Rivendell.
As wonderful as it had been to see her uncles again, however, Elisandra had been quite startled to find Lord Celeborn there to greet her. She had been even more startled when he had bowed to her, suddenly at a loss without the ability to see his fëa and know what he was thinking. Having discovered a few days after she regained her normal sight that she could see fëa's when her eyes were closed, Elisandra logically decided to let her eyes close for a few moments to get a general idea of what Lord Celeborn was feeling. It had been strange to see his fëa - she remembered very little of Lord Elrond from his one visit to the palace before he'd sailed into the West, but Arwen had told her once that she had complained that his fëa was bright. Well, Lord Celeborn's fëa was definitely bright - and oddly silver in colour. It had also been strangely guarded. She could see his surface thoughts and feelings, but she could feel that there was much more that she couldn't see, and it disturbed her almost as much as Legolas' seeming ability to occasionally hide his fëa from her.
Elisandra frowned lightly again at that, even as she let the handmaiden help her out of the bath and dry her off before starting to dress her. Elisandra still hadn't gotten around to asking Legolas about how he'd managed to block her from seeing his fëa, and wasn't quite sure about how to broach the subject. She was used to Aragorn and Arwen guarding their feelings around her so she didn't feel to out of place, but Legolas had managed to completely block out all his feelings. And with Lord Celeborn - it had been like Arwen and Aragorn, only not. They were very clearly NOT thinking of or feeling anything that would make her uncomfortable - a remarkable feat in and of itself - while Lord Celeborn was clearly thinking and feeling things that he did not want her to see, and somehow managed to stop her from seeing them. Elisandra wondered if perhaps it was not due to the years he had spent with Galadriel. After all, she was rumored to have been able to read minds and feelings, and Elisandra's ability to see fëa's resulted in basically the same thing.
As the handmaiden finished dressing Elisandra and generally readying her for public eye, she shook her head to clear it of the thoughts. Just as the handmaiden finished, as if timed, there was a knock on the door, and a moment later the door opened to reveal Elrohir.
"Are you finally ready for lunch?" he asked, trying to look annoyed, but the teasing in his voice ruined it.
"Yes, Uncle, I am." Elisandra said, smiling as she stood.
"Then perhaps you would allow me to escort you there?" Elrohir said, offering Elisandra his arm.
"I can think of no better escort!" Elisandra said, still smiling. She quickly went to where he waited, took his arm, and after Elrohir waved cheerfully to the handmaiden, they were off to lunch.
\/---Reviews are appreciated, yes they are!---\/