Poppy and Laurelen soon grew very close to their horses, and spent much of
their time riding the valley of Rivendell, exploring places that would have
taken much longer to reach on foot. Sulien had a mischievous streak in her,
and she would gleefully try to buck Laurelen off, and then run away. But
she only did it when they were near the fortress.
One day Poppy and Laurelen were out riding on the level grassy are that made up the bottom of the valley as usual. But today they decided to head out of the valley. Both elf and halfling preferred to ride bareback, and there was no saddle that would have fit Sulien's broad back anyway. They rode up the narrow trail that was the only way in or out, unless you happened to have wings. They soon reached the river that guarded the valley, and the horses waded out into it. Poppy thought they had gone far enough, but Laurelen argued that there was plenty of daylight left, and besides, there were some interesting places on the other side.
At that moment, Sulien decided it would be fun to roll in the cool water. It came only up to her belly, so she tucked her legs and dropped into the water, neck stretched out to keep her head at the surface. Laurelen was totally unprepared and got dunked under. By the time she came up, spluttering and gasping for breath, Sulien was on the other side of the river looking back at the elf.
Laurelen stood in waist-high water, dripping wet and glaring at her horse, who was looking rather pleased with herself. Poppy was trying her hardest not to laugh, and nearly choking herself. But a signal from a suddenly serious Laurelen stopped the merriment. The elf cocked her head toward the road, obviously hearing something. She waded out of the water to stand by Sulien, who was looking down the road with her ears pricked.
The sound soon became distinguishable as hoof beats. Poppy observed Laurelen's body tense as a rider came around the bend and stopped before them.
He seemed like an old man, with a long grey beard and hair that matched. His clothing was also grey-colored, obviously well-worn and patched. He rode a nondescript brown horse, a lanky creature that could obviously go for many miles, though not necessarily very fast. The rider seemed surprised at meeting them, but this quickly turned to amusement as he beheld the spectacle before him. "Well," he said, his eyes twinkling, "I've had strange welcoming parties before, but none so strange as this. A sopping wet elf and a hobbit that rides bareback. Very strange." He seemed to be trying very hard not to smile, as his mouth kept twitching.
Laurelen did not trust the old man. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who are you, and what business do you have here?" Though the stranger had spoken the Common Tongue, the elf's words were sharp, clipped Elvish, her mistrust making the usually beautiful words sound rather harsh.
The old man raised a bushy grey eyebrow. "Well now, what kind of greeting is that?" He seemed to have understood Laurelen perfectly well, and continued, "You ought to learn to be more trusting. Still, I am Gandalf, and I come at the bidding of Elrond." He seemed to look over their heads. "Here comes my real welcoming party."
Laurelen did not bother to turn around, but kept her eyes fixed on Gandalf. She could hear more horses coming across the river behind her, but she did not trust this old man, who was more than he seemed. She sensed power emanating from him, something that only a very perceptive human or halfling would have felt, and the magnitude of it made her uneasy.
Now there were other elves around her and Poppy. Among them were Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir. They moved their horses forward until they were flanking Laurelen, and Elrohir spoke to the grey old rider. "On behalf of my father, I have come to welcome you to Rivendell."
Gandalf bowed his head slightly, and this time answered in Elvish. "My thanks, Elrohir." He looked directly at Laurelen and winked.
A growl rose in her throat before she could stop it, and Elladan turned a surprised look on her.
"You do not trust him." It was a flat statement, no hint of a question in it.
Laurelen shook her head, but said nothing. The company was starting to move off, Gandalf and Elrohir in the lead. She leapt back onto Sulien's still- wet back and they turned to follow. She motioned to Poppy to go on ahead. Her mind was distracted by the encounter, and she did not want to talk to anyone yet, especially a curious hobbit.
She waited for Elladan to take the hint and move on with the rest of the company, but he stubbornly ignored the look she sent him, keeping his horse right next to her as she leapt to Sulien's back with a resigned sigh. She wondered why he chose this particular moment to be separated from his twin, seeing as how they were almost always together. Why would he want to stay back here with me?
With one final glare, Laurelen turned her horse to follow the company. Elladan moved to keep in step with her, and was silent for a few moments. As they rode back into the trees, he turned to her and asked quietly, "Why?"
Laurelen knew what he was asking, but she played innocent, pretending not to know what he was talking about. "Why what?" she asked, her face completely blank. She felt Elladan's grey eyes glaring at her, but refused to look at him, instead seeming intent on untangling her horse's mane.
"Why can you not trust anyone?" he asked finally. "What cause have we ever given you to mistrust us? You behave as if the whole world is against you, when in fact all we wish is for your happiness." The softness of his voice belied the resentment he felt. He studied her closely, watching the blankness of her face turn to anger. But even so, he was not prepared for the explosion that resulted from his questions.
"What would you understand?!" Laurelen yelled at him. "You know nothing of what I have been through. For nearly half a century, I had no one to trust. For that time, the world was against me. Do you think that habits such as these die so easily?! It is for my own sanity and survival that I continue to trust no one!" Angrily, she turned Sulien off the trail and into the trees.
Elladan was surprised at the bitterness in her voice, but he was not put off so easily. He followed her, his nimble horse weaving in and out of the trees easily. Laurelen heard him following, and pushed her horse faster, finally moving at a near-gallop. Sulien dodged around trees and bounded over logs, carrying Laurelen quickly out of sight.
The son of Elrond did not try to keep up. He kept his horse to a walk and followed the trail of churned-up dirt left by the sharp hooves of her horse.
One day Poppy and Laurelen were out riding on the level grassy are that made up the bottom of the valley as usual. But today they decided to head out of the valley. Both elf and halfling preferred to ride bareback, and there was no saddle that would have fit Sulien's broad back anyway. They rode up the narrow trail that was the only way in or out, unless you happened to have wings. They soon reached the river that guarded the valley, and the horses waded out into it. Poppy thought they had gone far enough, but Laurelen argued that there was plenty of daylight left, and besides, there were some interesting places on the other side.
At that moment, Sulien decided it would be fun to roll in the cool water. It came only up to her belly, so she tucked her legs and dropped into the water, neck stretched out to keep her head at the surface. Laurelen was totally unprepared and got dunked under. By the time she came up, spluttering and gasping for breath, Sulien was on the other side of the river looking back at the elf.
Laurelen stood in waist-high water, dripping wet and glaring at her horse, who was looking rather pleased with herself. Poppy was trying her hardest not to laugh, and nearly choking herself. But a signal from a suddenly serious Laurelen stopped the merriment. The elf cocked her head toward the road, obviously hearing something. She waded out of the water to stand by Sulien, who was looking down the road with her ears pricked.
The sound soon became distinguishable as hoof beats. Poppy observed Laurelen's body tense as a rider came around the bend and stopped before them.
He seemed like an old man, with a long grey beard and hair that matched. His clothing was also grey-colored, obviously well-worn and patched. He rode a nondescript brown horse, a lanky creature that could obviously go for many miles, though not necessarily very fast. The rider seemed surprised at meeting them, but this quickly turned to amusement as he beheld the spectacle before him. "Well," he said, his eyes twinkling, "I've had strange welcoming parties before, but none so strange as this. A sopping wet elf and a hobbit that rides bareback. Very strange." He seemed to be trying very hard not to smile, as his mouth kept twitching.
Laurelen did not trust the old man. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who are you, and what business do you have here?" Though the stranger had spoken the Common Tongue, the elf's words were sharp, clipped Elvish, her mistrust making the usually beautiful words sound rather harsh.
The old man raised a bushy grey eyebrow. "Well now, what kind of greeting is that?" He seemed to have understood Laurelen perfectly well, and continued, "You ought to learn to be more trusting. Still, I am Gandalf, and I come at the bidding of Elrond." He seemed to look over their heads. "Here comes my real welcoming party."
Laurelen did not bother to turn around, but kept her eyes fixed on Gandalf. She could hear more horses coming across the river behind her, but she did not trust this old man, who was more than he seemed. She sensed power emanating from him, something that only a very perceptive human or halfling would have felt, and the magnitude of it made her uneasy.
Now there were other elves around her and Poppy. Among them were Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir. They moved their horses forward until they were flanking Laurelen, and Elrohir spoke to the grey old rider. "On behalf of my father, I have come to welcome you to Rivendell."
Gandalf bowed his head slightly, and this time answered in Elvish. "My thanks, Elrohir." He looked directly at Laurelen and winked.
A growl rose in her throat before she could stop it, and Elladan turned a surprised look on her.
"You do not trust him." It was a flat statement, no hint of a question in it.
Laurelen shook her head, but said nothing. The company was starting to move off, Gandalf and Elrohir in the lead. She leapt back onto Sulien's still- wet back and they turned to follow. She motioned to Poppy to go on ahead. Her mind was distracted by the encounter, and she did not want to talk to anyone yet, especially a curious hobbit.
She waited for Elladan to take the hint and move on with the rest of the company, but he stubbornly ignored the look she sent him, keeping his horse right next to her as she leapt to Sulien's back with a resigned sigh. She wondered why he chose this particular moment to be separated from his twin, seeing as how they were almost always together. Why would he want to stay back here with me?
With one final glare, Laurelen turned her horse to follow the company. Elladan moved to keep in step with her, and was silent for a few moments. As they rode back into the trees, he turned to her and asked quietly, "Why?"
Laurelen knew what he was asking, but she played innocent, pretending not to know what he was talking about. "Why what?" she asked, her face completely blank. She felt Elladan's grey eyes glaring at her, but refused to look at him, instead seeming intent on untangling her horse's mane.
"Why can you not trust anyone?" he asked finally. "What cause have we ever given you to mistrust us? You behave as if the whole world is against you, when in fact all we wish is for your happiness." The softness of his voice belied the resentment he felt. He studied her closely, watching the blankness of her face turn to anger. But even so, he was not prepared for the explosion that resulted from his questions.
"What would you understand?!" Laurelen yelled at him. "You know nothing of what I have been through. For nearly half a century, I had no one to trust. For that time, the world was against me. Do you think that habits such as these die so easily?! It is for my own sanity and survival that I continue to trust no one!" Angrily, she turned Sulien off the trail and into the trees.
Elladan was surprised at the bitterness in her voice, but he was not put off so easily. He followed her, his nimble horse weaving in and out of the trees easily. Laurelen heard him following, and pushed her horse faster, finally moving at a near-gallop. Sulien dodged around trees and bounded over logs, carrying Laurelen quickly out of sight.
The son of Elrond did not try to keep up. He kept his horse to a walk and followed the trail of churned-up dirt left by the sharp hooves of her horse.