As Elrond foresaw, healing was slow in coming to the young one, as
Laurelen came to be called. It was nearly six months before she would speak
to anyone other than Poppy, Arwen, or Aragorn without being told to. And
all the while she grew more dependant upon the Ranger. She looked to him
for guidance and rarely left his side, becoming more like a shadow than a
separate person. And if she could not be found with him, then she was with
Arwen or Poppy, who remained her only friend.
After two years in Rivendell, Laurelen was a different person. Some of the pain and distrust began to leave her eyes, and she became friendlier. She smiled more often, and they were not the sarcastic, troubled smiles of before. But she never laughed, and she could not look anyone in the eyes. She remained very quiet, speaking only out of necessity. Some could still see the hopeless look in her eyes when she thought no one was watching her. But her pain and scars were healing, even if it happened slowly.
Then the messenger came from the North. He rode a tired but proud horse, whose rough coat was drenched with sweat and caked with mud. Scouts saw him well before he reached Rivendell, but let him go on. He rode into the valley as quickly as his mount could take him, and jumped off as he reached the fortress. Poppy and Laurelen were sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine. The stranger's eyes widened momentarily when he saw the halfling, but he immediately began speaking rapidly to Laurelen in Elvish.
Now it was Laurelen's time to look surprised. But she could not dwell on this thought because of the urgency of his message. She leapt to her feet and sprinted off. Poppy was left there looking rather bewildered. Because there seemed nothing else for her to do, she offered to take the stranger's horse, which was panting heavily. He nodded gratefully and handed the reins to her. Poppy started for the stables, leading the animal.
Meanwhile, Laurelen was running through the halls with all her speed and strength, dodging other elves and various chairs and tables. Finally she came to an open courtyard and found whom she was searching for. She slid to a stop near Aragorn, but lost her balance in her haste and fell. She rolled quickly to her feet and began to speak rapidly. Aragorn had risen to his feet to help her as soon as he saw her fall, but now found himself running behind her as she delivered her message and told him to follow her. He would have kept pace easily, except that his body was not as maneuverable as Laurelen's. She nimbly dodged obstacles, or simply leaped over them.
Aragorn found her waiting for him near the stranger, though she obviously did not like being near him. He nodded to her as he tried to catch his breath, and she ran off again, this time to help Poppy.
And so, because of her reluctance to be near any Man other than Aragorn, Laurelen nearly missed the news that he was leaving on a journey.
On the morning of the day that he was going to leave, Elrond took him aside to speak with him. They walked about in the courtyards and hallways, where the flowers and trees were coming out of their winter hibernation.
The lord of Rivendell walked slowly along. "What are you going to tell the young one?" he finally asked.
Aragorn gave him a pained look. "I wasn't going to tell her."
".because you don't want her to ask to come along," Elrond finished for him. "You will not let her go with you."
"No." Aragorn's voice was sharper than he intended it to be.
"You know that she looks to you as her father, even if you are of a different race."
Aragorn sighed. "I know. But what would you have me do?"
"I took you as my son, when you had nowhere else to turn."
"I would not let my daughter go with me."
"You may not have a choice." Elrond looked steadily at him, the corner of his mouth barely turning up as if he was hiding a smile.
* * *
Aragorn could not leave as early as he had intended, due to various things that had to be done. But he would not wait until the next day. He told no one except Elrond and Arwen why he was leaving.
Not a single person saw Laurelen that whole day. This was reassuring to Aragorn, because if she had heard that he was leaving, then she would have been begging him to let her go along. Poppy disagreed with this, but said nothing and kept searching for her friend. Finally, after an exhausting day of exploring the entire fortress for possible places that Laurelen could be hiding, Poppy went to the rooms she shared with her friend.
To her surprise, when she opened the door, there was the elf-girl. She was sitting calmly in a chair looking out the window at the sunset, as if she had been there all day. But no, Poppy could tell that she had been elsewhere. Laurelen's clothes were rather damp and dirty, and there were leaves stuck in her hair. She looked rather more like a human than like the elves Poppy had grown so accustomed to.
"Where have you been all day?" Poppy asked anxiously. "I've been looking all over for you, and no one could tell me where you had gone."
Laurelen raised one eyebrow. "No one could tell you, or no one would tell you?"
Poppy opened her mouth, and then closed it again, frowning. "I don't know. Why?"
"Anyone could easily have tracked me. I did not slink out of here like you seem to think. If you must know, I went to the stream that comes from the river. But now your searching is over. You have found me. And now I must ask you something."
"What?" Poppy asked curiously. She was still a little hurt that her friend had not told her where she was going, and that the other elves had not said anything. The hobbit sighed. She would never understand elves.
At her friend's sigh, Laurelen's face was lit up by a rare smile. Then her face sobered again as she tried to phrase her question. "Do you think. Would you be happy in Rivendell if I weren't here?
After two years in Rivendell, Laurelen was a different person. Some of the pain and distrust began to leave her eyes, and she became friendlier. She smiled more often, and they were not the sarcastic, troubled smiles of before. But she never laughed, and she could not look anyone in the eyes. She remained very quiet, speaking only out of necessity. Some could still see the hopeless look in her eyes when she thought no one was watching her. But her pain and scars were healing, even if it happened slowly.
Then the messenger came from the North. He rode a tired but proud horse, whose rough coat was drenched with sweat and caked with mud. Scouts saw him well before he reached Rivendell, but let him go on. He rode into the valley as quickly as his mount could take him, and jumped off as he reached the fortress. Poppy and Laurelen were sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine. The stranger's eyes widened momentarily when he saw the halfling, but he immediately began speaking rapidly to Laurelen in Elvish.
Now it was Laurelen's time to look surprised. But she could not dwell on this thought because of the urgency of his message. She leapt to her feet and sprinted off. Poppy was left there looking rather bewildered. Because there seemed nothing else for her to do, she offered to take the stranger's horse, which was panting heavily. He nodded gratefully and handed the reins to her. Poppy started for the stables, leading the animal.
Meanwhile, Laurelen was running through the halls with all her speed and strength, dodging other elves and various chairs and tables. Finally she came to an open courtyard and found whom she was searching for. She slid to a stop near Aragorn, but lost her balance in her haste and fell. She rolled quickly to her feet and began to speak rapidly. Aragorn had risen to his feet to help her as soon as he saw her fall, but now found himself running behind her as she delivered her message and told him to follow her. He would have kept pace easily, except that his body was not as maneuverable as Laurelen's. She nimbly dodged obstacles, or simply leaped over them.
Aragorn found her waiting for him near the stranger, though she obviously did not like being near him. He nodded to her as he tried to catch his breath, and she ran off again, this time to help Poppy.
And so, because of her reluctance to be near any Man other than Aragorn, Laurelen nearly missed the news that he was leaving on a journey.
On the morning of the day that he was going to leave, Elrond took him aside to speak with him. They walked about in the courtyards and hallways, where the flowers and trees were coming out of their winter hibernation.
The lord of Rivendell walked slowly along. "What are you going to tell the young one?" he finally asked.
Aragorn gave him a pained look. "I wasn't going to tell her."
".because you don't want her to ask to come along," Elrond finished for him. "You will not let her go with you."
"No." Aragorn's voice was sharper than he intended it to be.
"You know that she looks to you as her father, even if you are of a different race."
Aragorn sighed. "I know. But what would you have me do?"
"I took you as my son, when you had nowhere else to turn."
"I would not let my daughter go with me."
"You may not have a choice." Elrond looked steadily at him, the corner of his mouth barely turning up as if he was hiding a smile.
* * *
Aragorn could not leave as early as he had intended, due to various things that had to be done. But he would not wait until the next day. He told no one except Elrond and Arwen why he was leaving.
Not a single person saw Laurelen that whole day. This was reassuring to Aragorn, because if she had heard that he was leaving, then she would have been begging him to let her go along. Poppy disagreed with this, but said nothing and kept searching for her friend. Finally, after an exhausting day of exploring the entire fortress for possible places that Laurelen could be hiding, Poppy went to the rooms she shared with her friend.
To her surprise, when she opened the door, there was the elf-girl. She was sitting calmly in a chair looking out the window at the sunset, as if she had been there all day. But no, Poppy could tell that she had been elsewhere. Laurelen's clothes were rather damp and dirty, and there were leaves stuck in her hair. She looked rather more like a human than like the elves Poppy had grown so accustomed to.
"Where have you been all day?" Poppy asked anxiously. "I've been looking all over for you, and no one could tell me where you had gone."
Laurelen raised one eyebrow. "No one could tell you, or no one would tell you?"
Poppy opened her mouth, and then closed it again, frowning. "I don't know. Why?"
"Anyone could easily have tracked me. I did not slink out of here like you seem to think. If you must know, I went to the stream that comes from the river. But now your searching is over. You have found me. And now I must ask you something."
"What?" Poppy asked curiously. She was still a little hurt that her friend had not told her where she was going, and that the other elves had not said anything. The hobbit sighed. She would never understand elves.
At her friend's sigh, Laurelen's face was lit up by a rare smile. Then her face sobered again as she tried to phrase her question. "Do you think. Would you be happy in Rivendell if I weren't here?