Notes from EHAB: We have a few words to define in this chapter.
"Lachlotiel" means "blossom garlanded with flame," "Vardamiriel" means
"garlanded with Varda's gems," and just in case you've been wondering, the
"hostage
Elves'" names, Erynen and Erynsir, mean "forest water" and "forest river,"
respectively. Thank you for your reviews and your patience! God bless all
of you!
"Okay, Boromir," Christina grinned, "you finally get that explanation now. Sorry it didn't come sooner, but we were all kinda busy."
"Yeah, you know, what with adventure-hungry hobbits to deal with," said Jeremie.
"And lots and lots of orcs to have to get away from," Andrea added.
"Then, of course, there was Legolas having to kick the elf-sorceress's tail," Sarah laughed.
"And I was working hard to keep Legolas' younger self from keeling over in grief," Sivi smiled.
"Will you all stop? You're only confusing me all the more!" Boromir cried plaintively. "Please?"
"Sorry," Christina replied easily. "At any rate, what would you like to know first?"
"What's going on - I want to know what's going on," Boromir answered promptly.
"Could you narrow that topic down a bit?" Christina said wryly.
"What?"
"Can you ask more specific questions and let us answer them one at a time?"
"Ah... who are you?" Boromir said carefully.
A round of introductions followed, moving counter-clockwise around the ring of Council seats. The friends had elected to stay in Rivendell for a few days while they rested and discussed the details of their adventures. Elrond had commanded that the Council floor be carefully avoided by the curious Elves of Imladris while these discussions were going on.
"That's question one answered," Sarah said lazily. "How about questions two?"
"Where is Frodo? How have we come to Amon Hen to Lorien to Rivendell in so short a time? Why could we not use the same method to get to Mount Doom?"
"Actually, those were questions two, three, and four," Sarah laughed.
"I don't know where Frodo is, but -" Christina began.
"What? How? What of the Quest?" Boromir demanded sharply, cutting her off.
"Listen, dude, the trip from Amon Hen to Lorien took a little longer than you think," Christina sighed ruefully. "The Quest has been completed for months now."
"WHAT?" Boromir cried. "I do not understand," he murmured weakly.
"Because the One Ring is destroyed, the Elves can now use the Three more easily. It was by the power of the ring Narya that you were brought through time to Lorien," Sivi said with quiet dignity.
"Through time - but why?" Boromir asked desperately.
The silence hung heavy and thick. This was the question that Christina had been dreading. She took a gargantuan breath, then released it slowly.
"OK, you know that ugly orc-dude I shot?" she said uncomfortably.
The memory was blurred, vague, but Boromir thought that he did and said so.
"OK, well, dude, if I hadn't shot him... he would've killed you," Christina said softly.
"But -"
"And since you were supposed to be dead, we - I mean, I - couldn't leave you in that time, or the future could have been changed completely, even to the point that Frodo might not have been able to destroy the Ring. Then the Elven Rings wouldn't be able to take us back I time, so we couldn't save you, and then Frodo would destroy the Ring -"
"But then you WOULD be able to go back in time and save him, and the universe would explode," finished Gil-galad. "I think I ALMOST understand it now," he murmured wonderingly.
"Good job, my Love," Sivi smiled proudly.
"But - I -" Boromir stammered incoherently.
"I have a question," Legolas spoke up. "Where is Joseph?"
"He went home," Sivi said sadly.
"Mr. Joseph already went back to New York?" Jeremie queried.
"No..." Gil-galad said, trembling in spite of himself. "No, he has gone home to Aman."
"Aman?" Galadriel breathed sharply. "Has he been killed?"
"No..." Sivi sighed. "My father is the Vala Manwë."
Every mouth dropped open, yet no one made a sound, so Sivi continued resignedly,
"And my mother is Queen Varda."
"And -" Haldir found at least part of his fair voice, "and, Sarah, you are her cousin..."
"Yes, I am the daughter of Aulë and Yavanna," Sarah said. "The other Valar have given me leave to call them 'uncle' or 'aunt,' so Sivi and I are cousins."
"So... 'Sarah'... what is your real name?" Haldir asked.
"Lachlotiel," Sarah said easily.
"And your cousin's?" he inquired.
"Vardamiriel," Sivi supplied.
"Daughters of the Valar," Galadriel said quietly, "why are you here? Why was Manwë with you?"
"My father was here to assist me for a time," Sivi said in a tone of reserve. "Our purposes do not concern this quest."
"Did you know?" Erynsir asked of Megan.
"I only found out very recently," she replied, "when we were preparing to leave Gondor."
"I was clueless," Jeremie put in.
"Me, too," Christina added.
"Question: how did I get cell coverage in Middle-Earth?" Andrea asked. "And why did I get Galadriel when I tried to call Mr. Joseph?"
"Daddy gave you a signal and then rerouted the call," Sivi explained simply, shrugging.
"Oh... right," Andrea muttered. "I'm engaged to an Elf and an angel is rerouting my phone calls. My life is so... so..."
"Weird?" Legolas smiled.
"Hai."
Andrea sat up suddenly.
"Hey! Sivi? What did you do with my tool-box? It wasn't there after you gave me my bag back!"
"Here it is, my Squee," Legolas laughed gently, passing her the small Elven box. "Sivi, er, gave it to me to keep for a while. I thought that you might ask for it, so I kept it, as Gimli would say, 'ready to hand.' And..."
He pulled out a small pouch on a cord.
"Here," he said softly, "is something else that belongs to you."
"My tiara!" she cried happily. "Or, well, actually, it's Sivi's si - Oh, oops, never mind, sorry," she stuttered, glancing apologetically at Sivi.
"How did Legolas get to New York, anyway?" Megan asked in a swift attempt to change the subject, since Andrea and Sivi obviously preferred not to discuss it.
"He must have used my - I mean, the - tiara," Andrea said.
Ah, well, Megan had tried.
"I was holding it one night, wishing for you," Legolas told Andrea softly, "and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in Central Park."
"Wishing, yes, exactly," Andrea nodded in her happy "Squee" fashion. "See?"
She held up the tiara and pointed to the crystal star.
"It's a wishing star; it grants your biggest wishes!"
"So, what about Morniwen?" Elrond inquired at length. "How did she manage...?"
"Morniwen was in league with the Necromancer long before the Council of White drove him from Dol Guldur," Legolas sighed. "Every day at dusk, she traveled to an arranged place in the forest to meet one of his dark messengers. When she learned he was searching for the Three, she began to make efforts to get close to me, thinking as Prince, I would know something of the Rings' whereabouts. Whether she actually loved me or not, I will never know, nor will I care. Andrea began to come between us, and Morniwen decided to go to Rivendell for the double purpose of getting away from Andrea and finding out Elrond's potential connection to the Rings. When Andrea left, I told Morniwen -"
Legolas broke off and grinned mirthlessly.
"I told Morniwen a lot of things, but the point of them all was that I never wanted to see her again. She continued to haunt my steps, and when I came to Rivendell for the Council, she followed me with an entourage of orcs that she had bewitched to appear as Elves. When the Enemy called for soldiers, she sent them from her abruptly, and I thought that she had killed them. While she was in Rivendell, she stole Vilya from Elrond, then left for the Havens to take Narya from Círdan. She thought that with two of the Rings, she would be a match for Galadriel for the third. She used her powers to summon Nenya and its bearer, unaware that I was carrying the Ring at the time. We fought; Queen Varda protected me and granted me a weapon, and in the end, Morniwen disappeared. I know not if she be dead, or -"
"No, she isn't dead," Sivi said tiredly. "My mother feels the blackness where the sorceress hides. We may yet be called upon to deal with her again."
Sarah leaned to her right and whispered in her cousin's ear.
"No, Lach," murmured Sivi, "I doubt that very much."
"Let us pray that you are right."
Thank you wishing star
"Down in the underground you'll find someone true. Yeah, down in the underground-a land serene, a crystal moooon! It's only forever; it's not long at all. Lost and lonely-that's underground.underground.la la la la.only forever is not long at all.hmmhumhmmm.which way?" Andrea stood in one of the spacious halls in the palace of Mirkwood. Currently, she was making a valiant attempt to become un-lost. She had come to a place where the hall split in two directions. Now," she asked herself, "would you go left or right?"
"Left, at the moment," answered an unexpected voice.
"Eeeep!" Legolas laughed as Andrea spun around, nearly losing her balance in the process.
"Did my Squee get lost?" he asked gently, slipping his hand into hers.
"Maybe," she whispered, "but I was looking for you." Legolas looked at his Squee for a moment. She had tightened her grip on his hand until it was quite painful, but that was not what worried him.
"Andrea?" Her hair hid her face, as she was now looking down at the floor and wouldn't look up. "What troubles you?"
"When everything was.. I thought.I just.I thought I had lost you again," she whispered. "You had just found me, and I was so happy.but then.then it went all crazy and you got hurt and then I got lost.. hiding cause you were there only it wasn't the RIGHT you. I was scared and I just.I didn't want to be alone again.it hurt inside too much." It took a moment for the elf to sort through her words to find the meaning behind them. Slowly, he realized what was bothering his little Squee. In one swift, graceful movement, he had knelt down and drawn her close, holding her in the safe circle on his arms.
"Shh, Mela, I missed you as well," he told her. The only response she gave was burying her face in his shoulder. "I love you.my Squee."
"And Squee loves you back," she laughed. Then she pulled back and brushed a finger down the side of his cheek. "I really do." Legolas grinned and copied her action by running his finger down her cheek, causing her to become an interesting shade of pink.
Though I could not see you that night
"Andrea, you're bouncing again," Sivi informed her friend while attempting to pin up the smaller girl's short hair.
"Gomen.but I can't help it. The butterflies attack when I sit too still," Andrea answered. She twisted the golden band around her finger, a nervous habit she had gained over the past few weeks, as she no longer wore the tiara's pouch around her neck. Sivi laughed softly and pushed the last pin into place.
"Done. You can put your glasses on now." Andrea did and faced herself in the mirror. Sivi smiled at the shocked expression on her friend's face. "I take it you like, then?"
"Ha.hai." Andrea stammered as the door opened.
"You ready in there?" Sarah asked with a grin. Andrea looked one last time at the mirror, then nodded.
Thank you wishing star
The wedding was like a dream, Andrea decided when she thought back to it. Through the butterflies, which were throwing a party to end all parties inside her, she felt a pleasant halo of warm fuzziness. It had been odd, walking down the aisle with almost every elf in Mirkwood watching, but the smile Legolas gave her was enough to make her continue forward, though her nervousness kept her from just running up and glomping her pretty one. It was a hard urge to resist, even so. The pretty one, dressed up in silver, had never looked prettier.
I knew you were still shining bright
The party afterwards had been interesting as well. There was singing and music. There was also dancing, and Andrea managed to trip more than once. That fact, however, only seemed to amuse Legolas as he laughed and held her upwards. As they spun around the room, Andrea caught sight of Gil- galad dancing with her best friend, and Sarah pulling a reluctant Haldir onto the dance floor. Megan was also dancing, with one of the "hostage elves".
Thank you wishing star
Of course, there was a wedding cake. And toasting. And along with toast to the couples future happiness, there were also toast such as "to flaming lawnmowers" made by Megan, and "to Pepsi" made by Sarah - who was still latched onto Haldir at the time.
Did you know I was counting on you?
The stars came out as the sun was setting. Andrea was still glowing and the sugary cake had made her giggly. With a happy sigh, she looked down at the roses in her hands. A thought came to her.
"Hey, guys.time to throw the bouquet," she announced with a laugh. All the elves present gave her questioning looks, Legolas included. "That's what they do at home," was her explanation, "to see who gets married next, or something like that." Andrea's friends and a few elven girls gathered behind her. Andrea looked over at Gil-galad before grinning.
"Hey, Sivi!" she yelled as she threw the flowers over her shoulder, "CATCH!"
You made the dream in my heart
Come true
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"Okay, Boromir," Christina grinned, "you finally get that explanation now. Sorry it didn't come sooner, but we were all kinda busy."
"Yeah, you know, what with adventure-hungry hobbits to deal with," said Jeremie.
"And lots and lots of orcs to have to get away from," Andrea added.
"Then, of course, there was Legolas having to kick the elf-sorceress's tail," Sarah laughed.
"And I was working hard to keep Legolas' younger self from keeling over in grief," Sivi smiled.
"Will you all stop? You're only confusing me all the more!" Boromir cried plaintively. "Please?"
"Sorry," Christina replied easily. "At any rate, what would you like to know first?"
"What's going on - I want to know what's going on," Boromir answered promptly.
"Could you narrow that topic down a bit?" Christina said wryly.
"What?"
"Can you ask more specific questions and let us answer them one at a time?"
"Ah... who are you?" Boromir said carefully.
A round of introductions followed, moving counter-clockwise around the ring of Council seats. The friends had elected to stay in Rivendell for a few days while they rested and discussed the details of their adventures. Elrond had commanded that the Council floor be carefully avoided by the curious Elves of Imladris while these discussions were going on.
"That's question one answered," Sarah said lazily. "How about questions two?"
"Where is Frodo? How have we come to Amon Hen to Lorien to Rivendell in so short a time? Why could we not use the same method to get to Mount Doom?"
"Actually, those were questions two, three, and four," Sarah laughed.
"I don't know where Frodo is, but -" Christina began.
"What? How? What of the Quest?" Boromir demanded sharply, cutting her off.
"Listen, dude, the trip from Amon Hen to Lorien took a little longer than you think," Christina sighed ruefully. "The Quest has been completed for months now."
"WHAT?" Boromir cried. "I do not understand," he murmured weakly.
"Because the One Ring is destroyed, the Elves can now use the Three more easily. It was by the power of the ring Narya that you were brought through time to Lorien," Sivi said with quiet dignity.
"Through time - but why?" Boromir asked desperately.
The silence hung heavy and thick. This was the question that Christina had been dreading. She took a gargantuan breath, then released it slowly.
"OK, you know that ugly orc-dude I shot?" she said uncomfortably.
The memory was blurred, vague, but Boromir thought that he did and said so.
"OK, well, dude, if I hadn't shot him... he would've killed you," Christina said softly.
"But -"
"And since you were supposed to be dead, we - I mean, I - couldn't leave you in that time, or the future could have been changed completely, even to the point that Frodo might not have been able to destroy the Ring. Then the Elven Rings wouldn't be able to take us back I time, so we couldn't save you, and then Frodo would destroy the Ring -"
"But then you WOULD be able to go back in time and save him, and the universe would explode," finished Gil-galad. "I think I ALMOST understand it now," he murmured wonderingly.
"Good job, my Love," Sivi smiled proudly.
"But - I -" Boromir stammered incoherently.
"I have a question," Legolas spoke up. "Where is Joseph?"
"He went home," Sivi said sadly.
"Mr. Joseph already went back to New York?" Jeremie queried.
"No..." Gil-galad said, trembling in spite of himself. "No, he has gone home to Aman."
"Aman?" Galadriel breathed sharply. "Has he been killed?"
"No..." Sivi sighed. "My father is the Vala Manwë."
Every mouth dropped open, yet no one made a sound, so Sivi continued resignedly,
"And my mother is Queen Varda."
"And -" Haldir found at least part of his fair voice, "and, Sarah, you are her cousin..."
"Yes, I am the daughter of Aulë and Yavanna," Sarah said. "The other Valar have given me leave to call them 'uncle' or 'aunt,' so Sivi and I are cousins."
"So... 'Sarah'... what is your real name?" Haldir asked.
"Lachlotiel," Sarah said easily.
"And your cousin's?" he inquired.
"Vardamiriel," Sivi supplied.
"Daughters of the Valar," Galadriel said quietly, "why are you here? Why was Manwë with you?"
"My father was here to assist me for a time," Sivi said in a tone of reserve. "Our purposes do not concern this quest."
"Did you know?" Erynsir asked of Megan.
"I only found out very recently," she replied, "when we were preparing to leave Gondor."
"I was clueless," Jeremie put in.
"Me, too," Christina added.
"Question: how did I get cell coverage in Middle-Earth?" Andrea asked. "And why did I get Galadriel when I tried to call Mr. Joseph?"
"Daddy gave you a signal and then rerouted the call," Sivi explained simply, shrugging.
"Oh... right," Andrea muttered. "I'm engaged to an Elf and an angel is rerouting my phone calls. My life is so... so..."
"Weird?" Legolas smiled.
"Hai."
Andrea sat up suddenly.
"Hey! Sivi? What did you do with my tool-box? It wasn't there after you gave me my bag back!"
"Here it is, my Squee," Legolas laughed gently, passing her the small Elven box. "Sivi, er, gave it to me to keep for a while. I thought that you might ask for it, so I kept it, as Gimli would say, 'ready to hand.' And..."
He pulled out a small pouch on a cord.
"Here," he said softly, "is something else that belongs to you."
"My tiara!" she cried happily. "Or, well, actually, it's Sivi's si - Oh, oops, never mind, sorry," she stuttered, glancing apologetically at Sivi.
"How did Legolas get to New York, anyway?" Megan asked in a swift attempt to change the subject, since Andrea and Sivi obviously preferred not to discuss it.
"He must have used my - I mean, the - tiara," Andrea said.
Ah, well, Megan had tried.
"I was holding it one night, wishing for you," Legolas told Andrea softly, "and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in Central Park."
"Wishing, yes, exactly," Andrea nodded in her happy "Squee" fashion. "See?"
She held up the tiara and pointed to the crystal star.
"It's a wishing star; it grants your biggest wishes!"
"So, what about Morniwen?" Elrond inquired at length. "How did she manage...?"
"Morniwen was in league with the Necromancer long before the Council of White drove him from Dol Guldur," Legolas sighed. "Every day at dusk, she traveled to an arranged place in the forest to meet one of his dark messengers. When she learned he was searching for the Three, she began to make efforts to get close to me, thinking as Prince, I would know something of the Rings' whereabouts. Whether she actually loved me or not, I will never know, nor will I care. Andrea began to come between us, and Morniwen decided to go to Rivendell for the double purpose of getting away from Andrea and finding out Elrond's potential connection to the Rings. When Andrea left, I told Morniwen -"
Legolas broke off and grinned mirthlessly.
"I told Morniwen a lot of things, but the point of them all was that I never wanted to see her again. She continued to haunt my steps, and when I came to Rivendell for the Council, she followed me with an entourage of orcs that she had bewitched to appear as Elves. When the Enemy called for soldiers, she sent them from her abruptly, and I thought that she had killed them. While she was in Rivendell, she stole Vilya from Elrond, then left for the Havens to take Narya from Círdan. She thought that with two of the Rings, she would be a match for Galadriel for the third. She used her powers to summon Nenya and its bearer, unaware that I was carrying the Ring at the time. We fought; Queen Varda protected me and granted me a weapon, and in the end, Morniwen disappeared. I know not if she be dead, or -"
"No, she isn't dead," Sivi said tiredly. "My mother feels the blackness where the sorceress hides. We may yet be called upon to deal with her again."
Sarah leaned to her right and whispered in her cousin's ear.
"No, Lach," murmured Sivi, "I doubt that very much."
"Let us pray that you are right."
Thank you wishing star
"Down in the underground you'll find someone true. Yeah, down in the underground-a land serene, a crystal moooon! It's only forever; it's not long at all. Lost and lonely-that's underground.underground.la la la la.only forever is not long at all.hmmhumhmmm.which way?" Andrea stood in one of the spacious halls in the palace of Mirkwood. Currently, she was making a valiant attempt to become un-lost. She had come to a place where the hall split in two directions. Now," she asked herself, "would you go left or right?"
"Left, at the moment," answered an unexpected voice.
"Eeeep!" Legolas laughed as Andrea spun around, nearly losing her balance in the process.
"Did my Squee get lost?" he asked gently, slipping his hand into hers.
"Maybe," she whispered, "but I was looking for you." Legolas looked at his Squee for a moment. She had tightened her grip on his hand until it was quite painful, but that was not what worried him.
"Andrea?" Her hair hid her face, as she was now looking down at the floor and wouldn't look up. "What troubles you?"
"When everything was.. I thought.I just.I thought I had lost you again," she whispered. "You had just found me, and I was so happy.but then.then it went all crazy and you got hurt and then I got lost.. hiding cause you were there only it wasn't the RIGHT you. I was scared and I just.I didn't want to be alone again.it hurt inside too much." It took a moment for the elf to sort through her words to find the meaning behind them. Slowly, he realized what was bothering his little Squee. In one swift, graceful movement, he had knelt down and drawn her close, holding her in the safe circle on his arms.
"Shh, Mela, I missed you as well," he told her. The only response she gave was burying her face in his shoulder. "I love you.my Squee."
"And Squee loves you back," she laughed. Then she pulled back and brushed a finger down the side of his cheek. "I really do." Legolas grinned and copied her action by running his finger down her cheek, causing her to become an interesting shade of pink.
Though I could not see you that night
"Andrea, you're bouncing again," Sivi informed her friend while attempting to pin up the smaller girl's short hair.
"Gomen.but I can't help it. The butterflies attack when I sit too still," Andrea answered. She twisted the golden band around her finger, a nervous habit she had gained over the past few weeks, as she no longer wore the tiara's pouch around her neck. Sivi laughed softly and pushed the last pin into place.
"Done. You can put your glasses on now." Andrea did and faced herself in the mirror. Sivi smiled at the shocked expression on her friend's face. "I take it you like, then?"
"Ha.hai." Andrea stammered as the door opened.
"You ready in there?" Sarah asked with a grin. Andrea looked one last time at the mirror, then nodded.
Thank you wishing star
The wedding was like a dream, Andrea decided when she thought back to it. Through the butterflies, which were throwing a party to end all parties inside her, she felt a pleasant halo of warm fuzziness. It had been odd, walking down the aisle with almost every elf in Mirkwood watching, but the smile Legolas gave her was enough to make her continue forward, though her nervousness kept her from just running up and glomping her pretty one. It was a hard urge to resist, even so. The pretty one, dressed up in silver, had never looked prettier.
I knew you were still shining bright
The party afterwards had been interesting as well. There was singing and music. There was also dancing, and Andrea managed to trip more than once. That fact, however, only seemed to amuse Legolas as he laughed and held her upwards. As they spun around the room, Andrea caught sight of Gil- galad dancing with her best friend, and Sarah pulling a reluctant Haldir onto the dance floor. Megan was also dancing, with one of the "hostage elves".
Thank you wishing star
Of course, there was a wedding cake. And toasting. And along with toast to the couples future happiness, there were also toast such as "to flaming lawnmowers" made by Megan, and "to Pepsi" made by Sarah - who was still latched onto Haldir at the time.
Did you know I was counting on you?
The stars came out as the sun was setting. Andrea was still glowing and the sugary cake had made her giggly. With a happy sigh, she looked down at the roses in her hands. A thought came to her.
"Hey, guys.time to throw the bouquet," she announced with a laugh. All the elves present gave her questioning looks, Legolas included. "That's what they do at home," was her explanation, "to see who gets married next, or something like that." Andrea's friends and a few elven girls gathered behind her. Andrea looked over at Gil-galad before grinning.
"Hey, Sivi!" she yelled as she threw the flowers over her shoulder, "CATCH!"
You made the dream in my heart
Come true
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