-THE GAMES OF THE GODS-
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I own nothing. Though I really really wish I owned some spare time...I swear, there's got to be some around SOMEWHERE that I can call my own and use as I will...
Rachel: Actually, I think you scared it all away.
CS: Drat. Hmm...maybe Gil-Galad has some that I could steal...
Rachel: ...You're going to try and steal spare time from the High King of the Noldor Elves?
CS: *shrug* Sure, why not. If nothing else, he'll injure me so badly that they'll have to send me to the hospital and then I'll have OODLES of spare time.
Rachel: Dang, you are desperate...
-58: Fellowship-
Haldir didn't stay long after agreeing to let me use his swords - I think he was afraid he'd regret his decision. And once he disappeared, those of us remaining realized that it was time for lunch and wandered back to the Fellowship's pavilion, hoping to find some food there. Glorfindel spent the trip talking in a low voice with Boromir about something - which I suspected was me - so Rúmil stayed back with Kari and me and put up with our insanity. Though he could be pretty darn insane when he wanted to be.
There was indeed food in the pavilion when we got there - food quickly being consumed by four hobbits and a dwarf. There was little doubt that there would not be enough for another five by the time they were done, so Rúmil offered to go tell the cooks to send more food, and we all readily agreed. We were somewhat surprised when he didn't return with the food - it was brought back by one of the kitchen pages - but then Kari pointed out that as he was the only one in our little gathering that didn't speak Common, it was probably a good thing he left. In fact, it was probably the reason he left. So we decided we'd have to make it up to him later by teaching him Common, and then left it at that as we enjoyed our lunch.
"You and Glorfindel seem to be on friendly terms." Boromir commented to me as lunch began winding down. The rest of those in the pavilion were busy having an emphatic conversation about something or another, so Boromir and I were able to talk to each other will relative privacy.
"Mmm." I replied, looking at Glorfindel and purposely letting myself go a little dreamy.
"Or perhaps more than friendly." Boromir said, though he sounded as if he didn't believe it.
"Definitely more than friendly." I agreed amiably, flashing Glorfindel a smile as he turned to look at me, apparently sensing my gaze, then returning my attention to Boromir. He was looking at me in amazement.
"In all the years I have known you, I have yet to see you interested in any man. Yet less than a year with the Elves, and you are acting like a starry-eyed maiden." Boromir said, shaking his head slightly.
"Who says it's an act?" I asked with a mischievous grin, quirking one eyebrow upwards. "And at any rate, when a maiden has seen Elf-lords, and knows they are within her grasp to snag as her own, it is very difficult indeed to settle for a dirty, smelly ol' man." I ducked, laughing, as Boromir threw a handful of leaves at me for the insult to his race.
"Since I am not in the position to argue that point, I suppose I shall have to let it lie." Boromir said. I smiled.
"Smart man." I said, and Boromir chuckled.
"I am not so inexperienced with women as to argue with one about their tastes in companions." he said. "Leastaways, though I have never done so myself, I have heard tales from Uncle Imrahil about the dangers of doing so."
"I'm sure." I said with a smirk, and then scowled faintly at Boromir. "Not like you should have any complaints about my choice in companions." Boromir eyed me for a moment.
"I am merely concerned for your welfare." he said.
"So Imrahil said to Finduilas." I said with a smile. "So all brothers say to their sisters. And their worries usually end up being for naught, in the end."
"Usually." Boromir agreed. "But there are those rare few times when their worries are well founded, and those times keep the worry alive."
"Indeed." I said. There was a pause. "I suggest you leave off on the brotherly threatening, though. Even at your scariest, I doubt you could compare to a Balrog or the Halls of Mandos."
"Ah, but a Balrog and the Halls of Mandos threaten only death." Boromir said, an evil glint in his eyes as he smiled slowly.
"I WILL hit you with your own shield." I warned.
"And I will castrate him if he hurts you." Boromir replied blandly. I sighed and shook my head, preparing to do some major dissuading, but suddenly Pippin appeared.
"What's black and white and black and white and black and white and red?" he asked me, clearly confused. I glanced over at the others, where Kari was smirking while the others were apparently thinking hard.
"Is Kari telling you riddles?" I asked, and Pippin nodded.
"Only Frodo can get any, though." he said.
"And so you had the bright idea to ask me?" I asked with amusement, and Pippin nodded again. "Never let anyone call you a fool of a Took. The answer is a sunburnt zebra."
"What's a zebra?" Boromir and Pippin asked at the same time. They looked at each other and blinked in surprised. I chuckled.
"A horse with black and white stripes, basically." I said. Pippin nodded, then went back to the group and announced the answer. Kari sent me a murderous looked, and I looked back innocently.
"Perhaps we should try some of those older riddles on her?" Boromir suggested, referring to the riddles he, Faramir and I had found in an old book in the Minas Tirith library one day when we were bored.
"Let's." I said with a grin. Only after we had stumped Kari three times out of five did I realize that Boromir had successfully distracted me from the conversation about Glorfindel, and by then I was not in a position to drag him off for a conversation again. When the riddle competition slowly started to die down, I fully intended to drag Boromir off, anyways, but then Haldir appeared, holding a double-bladed sword that was smaller than the other one I had used, and said that I could use it until I had my own sword made.
"If you damage it, however..." he repeated threateningly, and I grinned.
"I'll get the smiths to patch it up better than new before giving it back." I said. Haldir shot me a withering look, and I looked back innocently before he gave a disdainful glance in Gimli's direction and disappeared.
"Buttermonkey." I said, making a face in the direction he went. "If I didn't need his swords..." Those in the pavilion chuckled.
"Perhaps we should see about getting it so you do not need his swords, then?" Glorfindel suggested.
"Sounds like a wonderful idea. The sooner I get my own sword, the sooner I can steal Boromir's shield and whack Haldir with it without fear of repercussions." I said, standing.
"You are NOT whacking the Marchwarden of Lothlórien with my shield." Boromir said, arching an eyebrow.
"Not at the moment, no." I agreed cheerily. Boromir eyed me, but knew better than to argue.
"Can we come with you to the smithy?" Pippin asked at that point, his 'we' obviously referring to him and Merry. Frodo and Sam were absorbed in a conversation off to one side.
"I don't see why not." I said with a shrug. Boromir and Gimli glanced at each other.
"I would like to see an Elven forge." Gimli said.
"I am curious, as well." Boromir said.
"I have already seen one and do not particularly want to go back, so I shall leave you to it." Kari said, making a face.
"Aw." I said, pouting slightly.
"It is hot, loud, and smelly." Kari said stubbornly.
"Ooo, heat!" I said, perking up. Kari rolled her eyes, and Boromir and Glorfindel chuckled.
"I am sure you and Gimli will feel right at home." Kari said, then said goodbye and departed for...who knows where. Probably some of her boring lady friends.
"Dang." I muttered as I watched her go. "Now I'm stuck with five males. Wonderful." Boromir retaliated to that statement by poking me in the side, and I yelped before dashing off in the direction of the smithy - which was another one of those buildings on the ground of Caras Galadhon, and therefore one I could find without too much trouble. The males followed me, some slower than others, until we reached our destination. We stood outside for a moment, regaining our breath and joking amongst ourselves, and then I went inside, Glorfindel and the rest close behind.
One of the smiths looked up as we entered and arched an eyebrow at the crowd. Then he put whatever he was working on - it looked like a dagger of some sort - in the forge, and then walked over.
"What can I do for you?" he asked in Elvish. The four members of the Fellowship that we had with us were too absorbed in looking around the forge to ask for a translation, even if it hadn't have been obvious what he was asking.
"I need a double-bladed sword." I replied, holding up Haldir's borrowed sword as an example. The smith's eyebrows shot upwards.
"For you, or for someone else?" he asked.
"Me." I replied with a grin. The smith looked at me for a moment, then down at the sword, then back up at me. I could practically hear the thoughts going through his head - there wasn't an elf in Lothlórien by now that didn't know how well Haldir and I got along.
"The Valar have a strong sense of humour." Glorfindel said dryly, apparently also seeing where the smith's thoughts were going. The smith chuckled.
"Apparently." he said. "Do you have a preference for design?" I shook my head.
"Make it pretty." I said with a grin. "And sparklie." The smith grinned back and nodded. Any further discussion about the sword was interrupted as an argument erupted between Gimli and one of the other smiths. I went over to sooth things over, leaving Glorfindel to talk to the other smith about a price.
The conflict was quickly resolved; as soon as Gimli and the Elven smith's professional respect for each other was awakened, they suddenly had endless amounts of patience and understanding for each other. I returned to Glorfindel and the first smith, leaving Gimli and the other smith engrossed in a discussion about the tempering of metals or some such things. Glorfindel had apparently concluded the business with the smith about my sword, including a price - though Glorfindel would not tell me what it was.
"Consider it a thank-you gift." he said amiably, draping an arm over my shoulders.
"For what?" I asked him suspiciously.
"Me no longer having to attempt to drive normal swordwork into your head when it is painfully obvious that you have no skill with it." he replied with a grin. I made to whack him, but found that his arm, so casually draped around my shoulders, had slid down a bit and tightened, and I now couldn't move my arms. I glared up at him, and he looked back innocently. The smith shook his head, and then glanced over at Merry, Pippin and Boromir where they were looking at a collection of weapons in varying degrees of completion.
"Do any of your companions want something?" he asked. I pulled my attention away from Glorfindel and shrugged.
"Ask 'em." I said. The smith arched an eyebrow at me.
"I am afraid I do not speak Common." he said.
"Ah." I said, and then called over to the three in Common, "Yo, any of you three want anything?" The hobbits looked at each other, and then both shook their heads. Boromir looked around thoughtfully, and then shook his head as well.
"I fear we shall not be here long enough for anything I would wish of Elven smiths to be completed." he said, flashing me a grin. I chuckled.
"Yeah, I think a suit of Elven plate armor would take a little too long." I said, remembering the conversation from awhile ago that Faramir, Boromir and I had had about what we would get from the Elves if we could have anything. Faramir had wanted a book with histories men had long since forgotten, Boromir had wanted a full set of Elven-made plate armor, and I'd simply said something pretty. I turned my attention back to the Elven smith who was waiting patiently, though I was sure he already knew the three's answers.
"No, they don't want anything." I said with a lop-sided grin. The Elven smith nodded, then politely excused himself and disappeared into what appeared to be a storage room at the back of the smithy. I turned to the hobbits and Boromir.
"Shall we go?" I suggested.
"If you can pry Gimli away from his new friend." Boromir said, nodding his head in the dwarf's direction.
"Gimli!" I called. The dwarf looked up. "Think you can find your way back to the pavilion?" he nodded. "See ya later, then!" he nodded again, and then went back to his conversation. I looked back at the other four to find myself greeted with looks of amusement. "What?" I asked blankly. "He's perfectly happy where he is. Why drag him away?"
"But do you think it - er - wise to leave a dwarf in the company of Elves?" Boromir asked, cocking his head to one side.
"Oh, he won't do anything too horrible." I said dismissively.
"I was more concerned about the Elves." Boromir muttered, almost inaudibly.
"The worst they could do is dump him in a river, and believe me, with the exulted personages that river has had in it recently, that wouldn't be all that bad of a thing." I replied amiably. Boromir looked over at me in surprise, apparently not having expected me to hear. "Elven hearing, 'member?" I reminded him, arching an eyebrow.
"I fear I shall never get used to that." he said.
"Perhaps." I said levelly, holding back the swarm of emotions that came with the remembrance of Boromir's impending death. "Now, shall we go?" The company agreed that indeed we should, and so we set off. We arrived back at the pavilion to find Aragorn now sitting there, smoking a pipe and looking thoughtful. Merry and Pippin went off to join Sam and Frodo, who were still talking to one side, so it was just Boromir, Glorfindel and I left to approach Aragorn.
"Hiya Mr. Aragorn Sir!" I greeted him cheerfully, and he arched an eyebrow.
"Aragorn will do." he said.
"So will Gorny." I replied innocently. Aragorn twitched.
"Just accept what she gives you, Aragorn." Glorfindel said dryly. "Otherwise you shall get worse."
"Yeah, Da - Haldir learned that the hard way." I said, and Boromir chuckled slightly over my almost-slip.
"Out of curiosity, why WERE you calling the Marchwarden 'Dad', anyways?" Boromir asked.
"He was claiming I had dwarven blood in me because of my height, so I decided that if there was, he put it there." I replied with a shrug. Boromir shook his head.
"You have changed much since we left Minas Tirith, Asira." he said. "Even your name is different."
"I haven't changed much at all, Boromir." I said with a smile. "I've just started acting like my true self. Which is, by the way, terminally insane."
"And well on the way to driving everyone else near it into the same state of mind." Glorfindel said innocently, and I scowled at him for a moment.
"Speaking of changing much..." Aragorn said, arching an eyebrow at Glorfindel.
"Her fault." Glorfindel said, pointing at me.
"Hey now, don't blame it all on me!" I said defensively. "You threw Celeborn in the river all by yourself!"
"And who was the one who told me what Kari had said, thereby starting the whole situation?" Glorfindel asked.
"And who was the one who acted like a boring old elf lord around Kari, thereby prompting her comments and the subsequent translation?" I asked in reply.
"And who was -"
"You threw Celeborn in the river?" Aragorn interrupted, that particular part apparently having just sunk in.
"Kari suggested it." Glorfindel said with a shrug. Aragorn looked at Glorfindel in amazement.
"And what did Galadriel do?" he asked.
"Chased us around Caras Galadhon for a few days, then got the full story out of Haldir and made Glorfindel go on patrols and Kari run errands." I replied for Glorfindel.
"Haldir was involved?" Aragorn asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Of course. He's involved in anything funny around here - usually because he's being made fun OF, but we won't get into that." I said innocently. Aragorn shook his head in amusement.
"Rachel!" Kari's voice came from behind me, and I had just enough time to whirl and brace myself before she catapulted into me.
"Oof!" I exclaimed.
"And more personality changes." Aragorn commented from behind me.
"Well, as Glorfindel said, I AM driving everyone near me closer to my form of insanity." I said over my shoulder.
"Look who I found." Kari said cheerily, pulling my attention back to her, and stepped away to show Legolas behind her.
"Hey, it's Nancy!" I said, my eyes lighting up. Silence came from around me, and then Kari couldn't hold it in any more and burst out in laughter.
"I forgot...you called...him...that!" she gasped out as she laughed. Legolas - and the rest of the Fellowship present - was giving her and me a curious look.
"Why is a nickname of 'Nancy' so amusing?" Glorfindel asked, arching an eyebrow. I eyed Legolas, wondering if I should say in his presence. I decided not to.
"It's a convoluted tale that would probably result in me becoming a target for certain Mirkwood Prince's archery practice." I said.
"Actually, he might find it amusing." Kari said with a giggle. "He has a surprisingly good sense of humour."
"See, the 'might' in there is what worries me." I told Kari. She shrugged.
"Very well then. Though I very much doubt he could get past Glorfindel, anyways." she said.
"Me too, but I seem to recall that getting on the bad side of Mirkwood royalty is not the wisest of ideas." I said dryly.
"Indeed." Legolas said, smirking, and the four hobbits, who had apparently stopped their own conversation to listen to us Big Folk, chuckled slightly, obviously recalling Bilbo's stories of his trip with the dwarves.
"And anyways, as I said, it's difficult to explain." I said, waving my hand through the air to dismiss the topic. Everyone seemed to take the hint, and then Legolas asked Boromir about the rumors he'd been hearing of him being on the practice fields that morning, and soon we were off and running on the topic of weaponry, which everyone except the hobbits was more than happy to discuss. The hobbits just kind of listened for a while, and then wandered off to find afternoon tea.
----To be continued...with the thwarting of the nefarious plans of Haldir's beloved brothers!----
(Aided by mushroom-bribable hobbits!)
-Authors Note:-
Well, for some reason, review alert stopped working for me, so I'll probably be less likely to respond to reviews until it starts working again. But on that note, someone out there asked for a look at the sword hilt I made? Well, I'll post a link to it in a few chapters - I have so stuff I want to do to it on the computer, first, and I also want to post it in the same chapter that Rachel actually GETS the sword. So it shouldn't be too long. (Read: next wednesday)
Anyways. Thanks to each and every one of my reviewers, even if it's now a pain (at least to lazy ol' me) to read your reviews, they are all appreciated.
See y'all again on Sunday!
~Crimson Starlight
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I own nothing. Though I really really wish I owned some spare time...I swear, there's got to be some around SOMEWHERE that I can call my own and use as I will...
Rachel: Actually, I think you scared it all away.
CS: Drat. Hmm...maybe Gil-Galad has some that I could steal...
Rachel: ...You're going to try and steal spare time from the High King of the Noldor Elves?
CS: *shrug* Sure, why not. If nothing else, he'll injure me so badly that they'll have to send me to the hospital and then I'll have OODLES of spare time.
Rachel: Dang, you are desperate...
-58: Fellowship-
Haldir didn't stay long after agreeing to let me use his swords - I think he was afraid he'd regret his decision. And once he disappeared, those of us remaining realized that it was time for lunch and wandered back to the Fellowship's pavilion, hoping to find some food there. Glorfindel spent the trip talking in a low voice with Boromir about something - which I suspected was me - so Rúmil stayed back with Kari and me and put up with our insanity. Though he could be pretty darn insane when he wanted to be.
There was indeed food in the pavilion when we got there - food quickly being consumed by four hobbits and a dwarf. There was little doubt that there would not be enough for another five by the time they were done, so Rúmil offered to go tell the cooks to send more food, and we all readily agreed. We were somewhat surprised when he didn't return with the food - it was brought back by one of the kitchen pages - but then Kari pointed out that as he was the only one in our little gathering that didn't speak Common, it was probably a good thing he left. In fact, it was probably the reason he left. So we decided we'd have to make it up to him later by teaching him Common, and then left it at that as we enjoyed our lunch.
"You and Glorfindel seem to be on friendly terms." Boromir commented to me as lunch began winding down. The rest of those in the pavilion were busy having an emphatic conversation about something or another, so Boromir and I were able to talk to each other will relative privacy.
"Mmm." I replied, looking at Glorfindel and purposely letting myself go a little dreamy.
"Or perhaps more than friendly." Boromir said, though he sounded as if he didn't believe it.
"Definitely more than friendly." I agreed amiably, flashing Glorfindel a smile as he turned to look at me, apparently sensing my gaze, then returning my attention to Boromir. He was looking at me in amazement.
"In all the years I have known you, I have yet to see you interested in any man. Yet less than a year with the Elves, and you are acting like a starry-eyed maiden." Boromir said, shaking his head slightly.
"Who says it's an act?" I asked with a mischievous grin, quirking one eyebrow upwards. "And at any rate, when a maiden has seen Elf-lords, and knows they are within her grasp to snag as her own, it is very difficult indeed to settle for a dirty, smelly ol' man." I ducked, laughing, as Boromir threw a handful of leaves at me for the insult to his race.
"Since I am not in the position to argue that point, I suppose I shall have to let it lie." Boromir said. I smiled.
"Smart man." I said, and Boromir chuckled.
"I am not so inexperienced with women as to argue with one about their tastes in companions." he said. "Leastaways, though I have never done so myself, I have heard tales from Uncle Imrahil about the dangers of doing so."
"I'm sure." I said with a smirk, and then scowled faintly at Boromir. "Not like you should have any complaints about my choice in companions." Boromir eyed me for a moment.
"I am merely concerned for your welfare." he said.
"So Imrahil said to Finduilas." I said with a smile. "So all brothers say to their sisters. And their worries usually end up being for naught, in the end."
"Usually." Boromir agreed. "But there are those rare few times when their worries are well founded, and those times keep the worry alive."
"Indeed." I said. There was a pause. "I suggest you leave off on the brotherly threatening, though. Even at your scariest, I doubt you could compare to a Balrog or the Halls of Mandos."
"Ah, but a Balrog and the Halls of Mandos threaten only death." Boromir said, an evil glint in his eyes as he smiled slowly.
"I WILL hit you with your own shield." I warned.
"And I will castrate him if he hurts you." Boromir replied blandly. I sighed and shook my head, preparing to do some major dissuading, but suddenly Pippin appeared.
"What's black and white and black and white and black and white and red?" he asked me, clearly confused. I glanced over at the others, where Kari was smirking while the others were apparently thinking hard.
"Is Kari telling you riddles?" I asked, and Pippin nodded.
"Only Frodo can get any, though." he said.
"And so you had the bright idea to ask me?" I asked with amusement, and Pippin nodded again. "Never let anyone call you a fool of a Took. The answer is a sunburnt zebra."
"What's a zebra?" Boromir and Pippin asked at the same time. They looked at each other and blinked in surprised. I chuckled.
"A horse with black and white stripes, basically." I said. Pippin nodded, then went back to the group and announced the answer. Kari sent me a murderous looked, and I looked back innocently.
"Perhaps we should try some of those older riddles on her?" Boromir suggested, referring to the riddles he, Faramir and I had found in an old book in the Minas Tirith library one day when we were bored.
"Let's." I said with a grin. Only after we had stumped Kari three times out of five did I realize that Boromir had successfully distracted me from the conversation about Glorfindel, and by then I was not in a position to drag him off for a conversation again. When the riddle competition slowly started to die down, I fully intended to drag Boromir off, anyways, but then Haldir appeared, holding a double-bladed sword that was smaller than the other one I had used, and said that I could use it until I had my own sword made.
"If you damage it, however..." he repeated threateningly, and I grinned.
"I'll get the smiths to patch it up better than new before giving it back." I said. Haldir shot me a withering look, and I looked back innocently before he gave a disdainful glance in Gimli's direction and disappeared.
"Buttermonkey." I said, making a face in the direction he went. "If I didn't need his swords..." Those in the pavilion chuckled.
"Perhaps we should see about getting it so you do not need his swords, then?" Glorfindel suggested.
"Sounds like a wonderful idea. The sooner I get my own sword, the sooner I can steal Boromir's shield and whack Haldir with it without fear of repercussions." I said, standing.
"You are NOT whacking the Marchwarden of Lothlórien with my shield." Boromir said, arching an eyebrow.
"Not at the moment, no." I agreed cheerily. Boromir eyed me, but knew better than to argue.
"Can we come with you to the smithy?" Pippin asked at that point, his 'we' obviously referring to him and Merry. Frodo and Sam were absorbed in a conversation off to one side.
"I don't see why not." I said with a shrug. Boromir and Gimli glanced at each other.
"I would like to see an Elven forge." Gimli said.
"I am curious, as well." Boromir said.
"I have already seen one and do not particularly want to go back, so I shall leave you to it." Kari said, making a face.
"Aw." I said, pouting slightly.
"It is hot, loud, and smelly." Kari said stubbornly.
"Ooo, heat!" I said, perking up. Kari rolled her eyes, and Boromir and Glorfindel chuckled.
"I am sure you and Gimli will feel right at home." Kari said, then said goodbye and departed for...who knows where. Probably some of her boring lady friends.
"Dang." I muttered as I watched her go. "Now I'm stuck with five males. Wonderful." Boromir retaliated to that statement by poking me in the side, and I yelped before dashing off in the direction of the smithy - which was another one of those buildings on the ground of Caras Galadhon, and therefore one I could find without too much trouble. The males followed me, some slower than others, until we reached our destination. We stood outside for a moment, regaining our breath and joking amongst ourselves, and then I went inside, Glorfindel and the rest close behind.
One of the smiths looked up as we entered and arched an eyebrow at the crowd. Then he put whatever he was working on - it looked like a dagger of some sort - in the forge, and then walked over.
"What can I do for you?" he asked in Elvish. The four members of the Fellowship that we had with us were too absorbed in looking around the forge to ask for a translation, even if it hadn't have been obvious what he was asking.
"I need a double-bladed sword." I replied, holding up Haldir's borrowed sword as an example. The smith's eyebrows shot upwards.
"For you, or for someone else?" he asked.
"Me." I replied with a grin. The smith looked at me for a moment, then down at the sword, then back up at me. I could practically hear the thoughts going through his head - there wasn't an elf in Lothlórien by now that didn't know how well Haldir and I got along.
"The Valar have a strong sense of humour." Glorfindel said dryly, apparently also seeing where the smith's thoughts were going. The smith chuckled.
"Apparently." he said. "Do you have a preference for design?" I shook my head.
"Make it pretty." I said with a grin. "And sparklie." The smith grinned back and nodded. Any further discussion about the sword was interrupted as an argument erupted between Gimli and one of the other smiths. I went over to sooth things over, leaving Glorfindel to talk to the other smith about a price.
The conflict was quickly resolved; as soon as Gimli and the Elven smith's professional respect for each other was awakened, they suddenly had endless amounts of patience and understanding for each other. I returned to Glorfindel and the first smith, leaving Gimli and the other smith engrossed in a discussion about the tempering of metals or some such things. Glorfindel had apparently concluded the business with the smith about my sword, including a price - though Glorfindel would not tell me what it was.
"Consider it a thank-you gift." he said amiably, draping an arm over my shoulders.
"For what?" I asked him suspiciously.
"Me no longer having to attempt to drive normal swordwork into your head when it is painfully obvious that you have no skill with it." he replied with a grin. I made to whack him, but found that his arm, so casually draped around my shoulders, had slid down a bit and tightened, and I now couldn't move my arms. I glared up at him, and he looked back innocently. The smith shook his head, and then glanced over at Merry, Pippin and Boromir where they were looking at a collection of weapons in varying degrees of completion.
"Do any of your companions want something?" he asked. I pulled my attention away from Glorfindel and shrugged.
"Ask 'em." I said. The smith arched an eyebrow at me.
"I am afraid I do not speak Common." he said.
"Ah." I said, and then called over to the three in Common, "Yo, any of you three want anything?" The hobbits looked at each other, and then both shook their heads. Boromir looked around thoughtfully, and then shook his head as well.
"I fear we shall not be here long enough for anything I would wish of Elven smiths to be completed." he said, flashing me a grin. I chuckled.
"Yeah, I think a suit of Elven plate armor would take a little too long." I said, remembering the conversation from awhile ago that Faramir, Boromir and I had had about what we would get from the Elves if we could have anything. Faramir had wanted a book with histories men had long since forgotten, Boromir had wanted a full set of Elven-made plate armor, and I'd simply said something pretty. I turned my attention back to the Elven smith who was waiting patiently, though I was sure he already knew the three's answers.
"No, they don't want anything." I said with a lop-sided grin. The Elven smith nodded, then politely excused himself and disappeared into what appeared to be a storage room at the back of the smithy. I turned to the hobbits and Boromir.
"Shall we go?" I suggested.
"If you can pry Gimli away from his new friend." Boromir said, nodding his head in the dwarf's direction.
"Gimli!" I called. The dwarf looked up. "Think you can find your way back to the pavilion?" he nodded. "See ya later, then!" he nodded again, and then went back to his conversation. I looked back at the other four to find myself greeted with looks of amusement. "What?" I asked blankly. "He's perfectly happy where he is. Why drag him away?"
"But do you think it - er - wise to leave a dwarf in the company of Elves?" Boromir asked, cocking his head to one side.
"Oh, he won't do anything too horrible." I said dismissively.
"I was more concerned about the Elves." Boromir muttered, almost inaudibly.
"The worst they could do is dump him in a river, and believe me, with the exulted personages that river has had in it recently, that wouldn't be all that bad of a thing." I replied amiably. Boromir looked over at me in surprise, apparently not having expected me to hear. "Elven hearing, 'member?" I reminded him, arching an eyebrow.
"I fear I shall never get used to that." he said.
"Perhaps." I said levelly, holding back the swarm of emotions that came with the remembrance of Boromir's impending death. "Now, shall we go?" The company agreed that indeed we should, and so we set off. We arrived back at the pavilion to find Aragorn now sitting there, smoking a pipe and looking thoughtful. Merry and Pippin went off to join Sam and Frodo, who were still talking to one side, so it was just Boromir, Glorfindel and I left to approach Aragorn.
"Hiya Mr. Aragorn Sir!" I greeted him cheerfully, and he arched an eyebrow.
"Aragorn will do." he said.
"So will Gorny." I replied innocently. Aragorn twitched.
"Just accept what she gives you, Aragorn." Glorfindel said dryly. "Otherwise you shall get worse."
"Yeah, Da - Haldir learned that the hard way." I said, and Boromir chuckled slightly over my almost-slip.
"Out of curiosity, why WERE you calling the Marchwarden 'Dad', anyways?" Boromir asked.
"He was claiming I had dwarven blood in me because of my height, so I decided that if there was, he put it there." I replied with a shrug. Boromir shook his head.
"You have changed much since we left Minas Tirith, Asira." he said. "Even your name is different."
"I haven't changed much at all, Boromir." I said with a smile. "I've just started acting like my true self. Which is, by the way, terminally insane."
"And well on the way to driving everyone else near it into the same state of mind." Glorfindel said innocently, and I scowled at him for a moment.
"Speaking of changing much..." Aragorn said, arching an eyebrow at Glorfindel.
"Her fault." Glorfindel said, pointing at me.
"Hey now, don't blame it all on me!" I said defensively. "You threw Celeborn in the river all by yourself!"
"And who was the one who told me what Kari had said, thereby starting the whole situation?" Glorfindel asked.
"And who was the one who acted like a boring old elf lord around Kari, thereby prompting her comments and the subsequent translation?" I asked in reply.
"And who was -"
"You threw Celeborn in the river?" Aragorn interrupted, that particular part apparently having just sunk in.
"Kari suggested it." Glorfindel said with a shrug. Aragorn looked at Glorfindel in amazement.
"And what did Galadriel do?" he asked.
"Chased us around Caras Galadhon for a few days, then got the full story out of Haldir and made Glorfindel go on patrols and Kari run errands." I replied for Glorfindel.
"Haldir was involved?" Aragorn asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Of course. He's involved in anything funny around here - usually because he's being made fun OF, but we won't get into that." I said innocently. Aragorn shook his head in amusement.
"Rachel!" Kari's voice came from behind me, and I had just enough time to whirl and brace myself before she catapulted into me.
"Oof!" I exclaimed.
"And more personality changes." Aragorn commented from behind me.
"Well, as Glorfindel said, I AM driving everyone near me closer to my form of insanity." I said over my shoulder.
"Look who I found." Kari said cheerily, pulling my attention back to her, and stepped away to show Legolas behind her.
"Hey, it's Nancy!" I said, my eyes lighting up. Silence came from around me, and then Kari couldn't hold it in any more and burst out in laughter.
"I forgot...you called...him...that!" she gasped out as she laughed. Legolas - and the rest of the Fellowship present - was giving her and me a curious look.
"Why is a nickname of 'Nancy' so amusing?" Glorfindel asked, arching an eyebrow. I eyed Legolas, wondering if I should say in his presence. I decided not to.
"It's a convoluted tale that would probably result in me becoming a target for certain Mirkwood Prince's archery practice." I said.
"Actually, he might find it amusing." Kari said with a giggle. "He has a surprisingly good sense of humour."
"See, the 'might' in there is what worries me." I told Kari. She shrugged.
"Very well then. Though I very much doubt he could get past Glorfindel, anyways." she said.
"Me too, but I seem to recall that getting on the bad side of Mirkwood royalty is not the wisest of ideas." I said dryly.
"Indeed." Legolas said, smirking, and the four hobbits, who had apparently stopped their own conversation to listen to us Big Folk, chuckled slightly, obviously recalling Bilbo's stories of his trip with the dwarves.
"And anyways, as I said, it's difficult to explain." I said, waving my hand through the air to dismiss the topic. Everyone seemed to take the hint, and then Legolas asked Boromir about the rumors he'd been hearing of him being on the practice fields that morning, and soon we were off and running on the topic of weaponry, which everyone except the hobbits was more than happy to discuss. The hobbits just kind of listened for a while, and then wandered off to find afternoon tea.
----To be continued...with the thwarting of the nefarious plans of Haldir's beloved brothers!----
(Aided by mushroom-bribable hobbits!)
-Authors Note:-
Well, for some reason, review alert stopped working for me, so I'll probably be less likely to respond to reviews until it starts working again. But on that note, someone out there asked for a look at the sword hilt I made? Well, I'll post a link to it in a few chapters - I have so stuff I want to do to it on the computer, first, and I also want to post it in the same chapter that Rachel actually GETS the sword. So it shouldn't be too long. (Read: next wednesday)
Anyways. Thanks to each and every one of my reviewers, even if it's now a pain (at least to lazy ol' me) to read your reviews, they are all appreciated.
See y'all again on Sunday!
~Crimson Starlight