Chapter 12: Trust Talks
As they rode out of the wooded area, Aubrey remembered the scene in the movie where Arwen was riding hard to get Frodo to the safety of Rivendell. Although she was glad that there were no ring raiders on their tails. They cut along the plains and came upon the small river.
"We're almost to Rivendell, you guys!" Aubrey shouted back at the rest of the group. She could see the trees start to disappear behind them and saw a small crevasse that was a river. She started to slow her pony down hanging on to Drogo who now was slumped over in the saddle in front of her. She put her chin on his shoulder to give him some kind of indication that she was still there for him, but only got a small groan in return. 'Hold on, Drogo. Don't you dare quit on me now.' All of the ponies started to slowly trot down the embankment of the gaveled, small, trickling river.
Aubrey started to bring her pony forth into the river, but as soon as the hoof hit the gravel an arrow hit the ground on which the hoof should have hit. Aubrey looked up at the rocks surrounding the river's bed. She jumped down off her pony and was almost hit with another arrow hitting the ground.
Stop! You're entering sacred ground. Go back or I will be forced to kill you all.
"Please!" Aubrey shouted out into the rocks and thought of something else, Please, let us pass to Rivendell. We have come from the Shire and have battled a group of orcs. My friend is badly injured and he needs help quickly. We have done all we can for him, he needs elvish medicine.
The rest of the group looked at Aubrey strangely, understanding that she had used Elvish, but not what she said. They heard nothing from the rocks above them for a few minutes. Then the voice boomed out from the rocks.
Who asks such a request? And speaks in such elvish tongue to be taken as one of our own? A form appears from on the top of a cliff of rocks. It was a boy elf with long hair, if Aubrey hadn't known any better; she would have sworn it was Legolas with darker hair.
I am Aubrey Cander! Daughter of Sorion Cander and guardian of the jewel. Please help us. The one injured is the son of Frodo Baggins. He cannot hold on much longer and needs help fast. We have nowhere else to turn.
"I would never abandon a son of the bravest being I have ever heard of. Hurry, let's get him treated," the boy came down and led them to Rivendell.
The other hobbits looked at Aubrey with wonder and asking themselves what she said to change the mind of the young elf. Aubrey just gave them a look to say that she would explain it all later, but right now the only thing that mattered was to get Drogo to some help.
Every once in a while the young elf would look from Drogo to Aubrey who was on Drogo's other side. Aubrey looked back at him every once in a while wondering why he was looking at her. After a few seconds he broke the silence.
"I never knew of a hobbit lass coming from the Cander line."
"I wasn't born from an elf. My mother was a hobbitlass, and I'm honored to have the appearance of one, even though my bloodline says different."
"Well, that makes sense and follows the legend, but could you prove it?"
"Only with my blood, my word . . . and this," she held the amulet above her chest and checked Drogo's bandage.
"Sorion's Jewel," he looked at her surprised, "Then you do have it."
"Why are you so suspicious of me?"
"If you are his daughter, you would have to be thousands of years old. But you are . . ."
"I don't clearly understand that either. According to Gandalf when my parents went to my world they passed through time. As the orcs came for me, they too moved and traveled through time. That is the only way I could explain it to you. I am only sixteen and I have to understand so much."
"Well, being heir to the Sorion name, you are a princess. And many princesses go through much they do not understand."
"Me? A . . . a Princess?"
"You will take Arwen's place as queen."
"How . . . but Elrond . . ."
"He died of an orc attack earlier this year. Arwen has married Aragon and they rule both human and elf land."
"Oh my gosh . . . so much has happened since the ring."
"Well princess . . . here we are."
Aubrey looked over the land of Rivendell, "The movie did this place no justice."
The others looked over the land as well, "We made it," Faramir hugged Kate.
"Enough gawking," Aubrey said looking at Drogo who was starting to groan, "Drogo still needs help and may be fading."
They continued down the hillside behind the young elf. They headed straight toward a main, white glowing building. There standing in the doorway was Arwen, queen of Rivendell, "Philon, what have you brought along with you?"
***
Drogo felt the fever slip away from him and light surrounded him. He almost instantly felt better because of the surrounding light. The pain on his side was subsiding and fainting. He could hear voices in the background and all round him. He struggled, but opened his eyes to see Aubrey standing over him.
"Drogo! You're awake! Thank goodness!" she hugged him careful not to hurt him. "I got so worried when you fainted on the road."
"You are just like your father, young Baggins," a woman elf came into the room, "He too came to Rivendell the first time unconscious as well."
"Rivendell?"
"Yeah we made it," Aubrey smiled at him.
"How did you find it?"
"Hey, I didn't forget all of your father's lessons. No matter how I tried I couldn't get them unclogged from my brain," Aubrey scratched the back of her head. Her hair was a mess, still messy from the trip and her dress was covered in orc blood and maybe some of her own as well. The dress was in shambles and he wondered how long he was out.
"Well, we must leave you to more treatment," Arwen signaled other elves over to his bedside, "the princess and I have much to discuss after she gets cleaned up and presentable."
Drogo looked surprised, "Princess?"
"That's what I have to figure out," Aubrey said, "But you have to rest. I will have none of my friends dying on me. You have been unconscious for a couple of days now. You need to relax. I need my best friend with me on this."
'Yeah, friends . . . just friends,' Drogo looked after them as they walked down the hall. The other elves began to treat his wound once again.
"Philon has told me that you came all the way from the Shire," Arwen said as they walked down the long hall.
"Yes, I was staying with Frodo Baggins. Gandalf found me and asked Frodo to watch over me. After he returned, he told me of this jewel," she held up the amulet, "and how I had to come here to . . . well, to . . ."
"To take my place," Arwen finished her thought. Aubrey looked at her and then quickly bowed her head.
"This is your room," she motioned her through the door. "I'll send Adrielle up to help you in a few minutes. Then we need to talk about what Gandalf has told you and what you know about that jewel lying in your hands and what you are to do with it."
Arwen had been distant from Aubrey ever since they had first arrived. It felt as though she was looking down on her, but what was she expecting on their arrival? Open arms and warm hugs? Of course hostility was a given, intruding without being expected. Aubrey would have thought that they would have been shot on sight if it hadn't been for the inexperienced young elf and her amulet.
Aubrey nodded and entered the room. As she set her things down she heard Arwen close the doors behind her. Aubrey took some dresses from the bag and laid them on the bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around the room. It was gigantic for only one person and the vastness of it all left Aubrey with the thought of loneliness and she started to miss her friends. How could Gandalf have sent them here with no warning to Arwen or the others?
In the next room she could hear some movement and before long a young elf girl came from a door apparently connecting the rooms. The young elf had dark color hair like the boy elf and had blue eyes, a very rare combination that Aubrey was not used to, unless it came to Frodo. The young girl had a yellow colored dress on that only went to her knees. She looked around sixteen, but from what Jane told Aubrey when she was still in her old world, elves age slower then humans do. She must be around two thousand years old at least by Aubrey's guess.
She set a bowl of what looked like water at the edge of Aubrey's bed and looked up at her. Aubrey tried to be at least a little friendlier and gave her a small smile. The girl walked up to her and stood to her face to face, leaning on the bed. She then backed away and tilted her head to the side, then to the other. She held a type of confused look on her face as she was trying to figure Aubrey out.
"How does a hobbit come across the greatest treasure of the elves?"
"I did not come across it. It was my father's, if no one told you," Aubrey answered.
"So you stick to your story," the girl said.
"Only because it is true," Aubrey said a little mad that the girl was going against every statement she said thus far.
"So," the girl sat down next to her on the bed, completely forgetting about the bowl at the end of the bed, "They say that you were in a different world?"
"Yes."
The young elf's eyes started to shine with excitement and a smile began to grow on her face, "What was it like?"
Aubrey looked at her in a different light as soon as the question escaped her lips, "Nothing like here."
The girl smiled and pushed her hand forward, "I'm Adrielle. Now, Lady Arwen told me to help you clean up. That means a new dress," she picked Aubrey off the bed and told her to turn around using her finger in a turning fashion, "and a nice, warm bath."
"Sounds great," Aubrey smiled as she finished her turning, "What made you change heart so quickly when asking me the questions, Adrielle?"
"I could see you were not lying. It can be told in your eyes," she smiled, "And your friends said the same exact things concerning you."
"My friends? How are they?"
"They are getting royal treatment. Being the children of the members of the fellowship many of the elves wanted to meet them. Now, let's get you into the tub and out of those clothes. And we have to take that off," she pointed to the amulet.
"No, I always keep this on," Aubrey held it close.
"That is . . ."
Aubrey just nodded her head, "Ok, just leave it on then. Don't worry, I'll have you clean in a jiffy, then you can have your talk with Lady Arwen and Lord Carond more than likely," she takes Aubrey's hand, picks up the bowl with the other and walked toward the other room, which Aubrey discovered as the washroom.
"Who is Lord Carond? I haven't heard of him," Aubrey asked as the warm water began filling up the small bath in front of her.
"He is one of the closest advisors to Lady Arwen . . . although he has been acting strange the last few weeks."
"Strange?" Aubrey asked quickly before Adrielle shoved her behind a curtain and began to take the clothes that Aubrey threw over the top of the changing curtain.
"Undergarments too," Adrielle reminded her as the white pieces of clothing flew over the side, "How can I define his behavior? Only way I can is that he is sneaking about and is very cautious of people following him. Philon and I had attempted it one time, but he caught us before we even reached the wood."
"He kind of sounds like a spy to me," Aubrey scratched her chin in a pondering fashion.
"But he is known to do great agreements with other species in the wood; especially in the agreements with some forest nymphs quite a few months ago. And I can just be paranoid. I have bee known to be before about many people," Aubrey heard Adrielle tap her foot on the white marble below them, "Well, are you going to come out or not?"
"Not in front of you."
"Alright, but I'll be back in a little while with some more soap for you."
After Adrielle left Aubrey snuck over to the bath as quickly as she could to clean or at least relax. Aubrey slid below the warm waterline of the tub and came back up with her hair-soaking wet. She hadn't had a proper bath in quite a while. Ever since she was on this trip, she never had time to slow down and take one to clean herself. Her face was covered in scratches and dirt. She tried to rub the dirt off, but waited until Adrielle would come back. She closed her eyes and pushed back her hair with her hands. She stared at the ceiling that stood a little above twenty feet above her. To her left were two windows that stretched from seven feet from the ground to the top of the room, giving the room a great amount of light of the afternoon sun, but still gave the bather their privacy.
She opened her eyes and made little ripples in the water with her finger. Her eyes focused and her face turned from pondering to frustrated. She thought back to what Philon had said, '. . . many princesses go through much they do not understand.' But was she ready to be a princess? She was barely ready to be a hobbit. Everything was moving so fast. Back in the Shire the biggest problem on her mind was Drogo and her feelings. Now . . . well now she is expected to rule over a group of beings she knows nothing about and possibly the rest of this world. She longed so much to be back in the Shire, where everything seemed to be so simple and relaxing compared to all of this.
She sunk back into the porcelain tub and let her damp hair over flow over the side. After about fifteen minutes Adrielle came back in with a mixture of soaps and sponges in her arms. Aubrey was a little self conscious about letting other people wash her, especially a person she met only a half hour ago. She was feeling very weird about her sitting there washing her when she is sitting in a tub naked.
"I understand how you might feel about this, Aubrey. Don't worry, it isn't that bad," she grabbed some soap and put it in Aubrey's hair, "And if you feel too weird about this, I can leave this stuff in here for you to wash yourself."
Aubrey nodded and let her wash her hair, but didn't think so much about it. She decided to let Adrielle wash her back, but she wanted to wash everything else. Adrielle understood and left her to finish. When she returned Aubrey changed herself into undergarments, but let Adrielle help her into her new dress.
"Adrielle, are you a servant of the palace or something?"
"Of course not, I volunteered to help you. You never came here before from what I heard and knew nothing of our ways. I thought that I might help you understand a little more- No, it goes this way," Adrielle pointed Aubrey to switch the side of the sash she was holding in her hand. She was dressed in a silver colored dress that flowed to her ankles, and had light silver sashes tied around her waist.
"Thank you," Aubrey smiled and looked up at her, "It seems that you listen a lot to what other people say about me."
"Well, until I got to meet you, that was all I had to rely on," she backed away from Aubrey and made the action with her finger to have her twirl around again, "There, perfect. Now all we have to worry about is your hair."
She sat Aubrey down on a chair and began to try and put her hair up. She finally got it up in a style that resembled a tight bun, but left some curly hair framing all around her face, "Now you look like the princess you truly are."
"Please Adrielle, just call me Aubrey," she looked back at Adrielle through the mirror.
"Alright Aubrey," she patted her on the shoulder, "Now I should check up on your friend that is injured."
"Drogo?" Aubrey turned around in the chair very fast and the urgency in her voice caught Adrielle's attention.
"Yes, is there anything you would like me to tell him?" she said with a slight smirk.
"Yeah, tell him to get better. And that . . . I miss him."
Adrielle smiled and nodded at her request and then opened the door, "Lady Arwen should be expecting you in the garden at the edge of the building. I will be in to help you to bed."
"Can you just set the clothes on the bed? I think I can manage."
"Alright. Goodnight Aubrey."
"Goodnight, Adrielle," Aubrey got up from the chair and walked before the front of a window. She saw her reflection in the late afternoon's light. She couldn't recognize her self in the glamorous dress, but decided she could not do anything about it. The scratches from the fight were still very apparent on her face, but the cream that Adrielle put on her face help immensely. She walked down the hall, out into the sunlight, and toward the garden.
Arwen was seated on a white bench next to a pond much like the one in Frodo's garden. All around her, white and silver roses bloomed and winter green leaves danced in the soft wind passing through. "Come and sit with me, Aubrey."
Aubrey did as she was told and sat next to Arwen on the bench. She felt uncomfortable sitting next to the ruler of Rivendell. The person whom she would be taking the place of, but . . . there was no way that she could take her place. Arwen knew the language, the culture, and the way of Rivendell. No matter how long Aubrey stayed there, she could never learn all of the knowledge Arwen had. She looked at the queen and knew that there was something she was not telling her. Something was being left unsaid.
"Aubrey, Gandalf may have told you how you got here and who you are, but he never told you why you are here, did he?"
"Why? You mean why I am here?"
"You may think me cruel, but . . . it is that I have known these people- my people- for all my life. I do not want to give them to some one I have only just met."
"I know what you are saying, Lady Arwen. I cannot say I know how you are feeling because I have no clue. But I do know that you do not trust me completely and I can understand that."
"But at the same time I long to rule with my husband. I will not live forever as my ancestors have and I want to know for certain that when I give my throne to a person, I want to know that the one who takes my place will treat my people well," she looked at Aubrey, "You will won't you?"
"Of course, if I knew only how to rule," Aubrey tried to find words to say. How could she, being as young as she is, rule a foreign world? There is almost no way.
"I knew this day would come," Arwen said breaking her train of thought for comforting words, "It was known that Sorion's daughter would return to the world her parents left behind."
"So there is a prophecy or something that I can follow?" Aubrey was hoping that there was going to be a guideline that would at least tell her what she should do.
"No, no prophecy was ever made. But after a few hundred years our people had given up on this hope that a daughter would come and my family took the throne. But now, out of the blue, here you are. Ready to take on such a great responsibility at such a young age. The hope has been filled."
"Why were they expecting a daughter and not a son?"
"The Cander line was very peculiar. In each generation they have a girl first and then a boy. Well, in your father's case, his older sister died at birth and he was the only child. And some how the orcs knew this. That is what the orcs were doing when they were taking all those girls. When they didn't find the right one they were looking for, they got the bright idea of putting the girls to work, which is way more than anyone would give them credit for. They were looking for you. Once the ring was destroyed they looked for the only other thing that could bring their master back."
"My father's amulet," Aubrey guessed.
"That is why you are here. They searched endlessly for the girl . . . and then they looked at other species . . . and then they looked at your world when the search here became fruitless. They had finally found you and didn't know it. But now . . . well you have to keep that jewel away from them at all costs."
"I understand," Aubrey tried to say something to let Arwen know that she could be trusted, "And I promised myself and Gandalf among others that I will never allow them to have it as long as I live."
Arwen stared into her eyes and grabbed her hands in hers, "Promise me another promise."
"Anything."
"Promise me that you will rule these people with kindness and mercy. Let them live as they have lived. Don't change anything."
"That is the last thing I want to do. If I had at least some control, I would ask you to teach me. To rule as long as you wanted and tell me what I should do. I don't know what to do. I can't rule," she stared into Arwen's eyes, "At least point me in the right direction. I would never dream to change anything in these people's lives. I don't want to change anyone's way of life."
"You are sincere," Arwen seemed surprised at what she had just said, "You truly do not want to rule in my place."
"The only thing I wanted to do was to stay in the Shire with my friends and new family. I wanted to live the rest of my life where my mother grew up. My parents are gone, and it seemed that only in the Shire I belonged. I admit that I'm not ready to lead a civilization, let alone a world that I have never known existed," Aubrey stood up and walked around the garden in a huge circle, "But if I must take your place . . . lead me, Arwen. Before you join your husband Aragon, tell me how. Teach me the ways I must learn to become a great leader like you and Elrond. Please."
Aubrey fell to her knees and started to cry into her hands. Arwen walked over to her and placed her hand tenderly on her shoulder, "I trust you."
Aubrey took her tear filled eyes away from her hands and looked at Arwen, "Why?"
"Because you have shown the greatest attribute to a great leader . . . honesty. I respect that. I can only show you so much, but you have to learn the rest on your own," she held her hand out.
"I will try my best to live up to at least half of what you've done," Aubrey took her hand that she had held out and helped her up.
"I think that I will always be cautious of you, but I will try to learn as well. To believe in you," Arwen looked in her eyes, "Now come, you need sleep. The sun is going down and you have been through so much these past days. And in these last days you have not gained much sleep. You spent most of them watching over the young Baggins."
"Yes, it seems that he is my family right now. And the others are my closest friends."
"Ah, the great princess speaks not only of her weakness but of her strength in her new family and friends. Of her hopes to the new kingdom she wishes to inherit," an older looking elf, maybe a little older than what she remembered Legolas being, stepped from the entrance to the garden. He was pretty short for an elf, but had the gleaming gold hair that was prominent in most of the elves there.
"Lord Carond, I didn't expect you up so late an hour," Arwen said standing Aubrey straight with both of her hands on her shoulders.
"Well, I heard of the coming of the young princess and wished to see her," he looked Aubrey over and focused on her amulet lying on her chest, then turned back to Arwen, "M' lady might I suggest that the princess stays in Rivendell for a while before she is to take her place of power?"
"I cannot delay to step down, Carond. She is the rightful heir, and I cannot be in her way. You know that, along with the fact of upcoming battle."
He nodded his head and looked again at Aubrey, "Of course I do."
Aubrey couldn't stop a chill from going down her back from the tone in his voice and the cold stare of his almost black eyes. Arwen turned and looked down at Aubrey, "Get some sleep; I will look over the young hobbit before I retire. Now sleep."
"Arwen?"
"Yes, Aubrey?"
"I still don't understand why you trust me so soon."
"You show true honesty in your words, and I know that my people need that among many other things. They need to be told of the orc's march to Rivendell. And you are to tell them. Now, get some sleep."
Aubrey only nodded her head as she turned and walked back toward the white building. She could still feel the cold piercing gaze of Carond in the back of her head. After a few seconds she heard them talking once again.
"She is too young to lead, your Majesty," Carond said to Arwen and Aubrey heard her give a heavy sigh.
"She may be young, but I see so much potential in her, Carond. I think for once, I'm not going to take your advice. I'm not going to cast her out. She will stand tall as one of the great leaders of these people. Our people. . . I have faith," Aubrey heard Arwen's dress start to move down the hall after her and began to move faster.
"You may have faith for her, but I have faith in my plan," Aubrey hurried faster down the hall toward her room as she heard the last lingering comment from Carond. As soon as she reached her room she nearly immediately turned in for the night. She changed quickly into the clothes Adrielle left for her and fell into bed.