-THE GAMES OF THE GODS-
Before we get to the disclaimer...Glorfindel's on the character list for the 'Lord of the Rings' section now! WOOHOO!
And now we will have the actual chapter...
-Disclaimer:-
Rachel: Hey, look, another disclaimer!
CS: *continues what she was doing*
Rachel: Damn, hoped that might make her stop.
Kari: Nothing'll make her stop. She's on a mission of vengeance.
Rachel: A mission of vengeance? By running in random polygons?!
Kari: *nod* She's running in random polygons at the sky because it decided to precipitate on her when she brought her art folder home from school, thereby getting the PAPER folder wet.
Rachel: Precipitate? Wouldn't it be easier to say that it rained?
CS: Indubitably. *continues running in random polygons at the sky while muttering about how fun it is to say 'indubitably'*
Rachel: *blink* So why don't you say that 'it rained' instead of 'it precipitated'?
Kari: Because it didn't just rain. There was freezing rain, rain, hail and snow during the twenty minute walk.
Rachel: O.o Odd weather.
CS: Welcome to the prairies. I own nothing, by the way. Not even random polygons. *continues running in random polygons*
(This disclaimer brought to you by the large bag of Starbursts that Crimson Starlight consumed this afternoon all by herself)
-68: Fading-
Kari sat down with a thump, staring at Elrohir in shock.
"What?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Rachel is fading." Elladan repeated for his twin, who now knelt next to his wife, once again wrapping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer to him.
"But...why?" Kari asked in a daze. Elladan shrugged.
"What has happened recently that would cause her grief?" he asked.
"Nothing...nothing at all!" Kari replied dejectedly. "She, Faramir and I were just talking in the gardens of the Houses of Healing, and then suddenly she got quiet and pale, said she was an idiot, and ran off up to her room. She has been like this ever since!"
"What were you speaking about?" Elladan asked with a frown.
"Courting customs of Elves! Faramir was curious, and I got talking about -" Kari's eyes widened as she abruptly stopped talking, and then, after a moment, she said, very quietly, "Oh." Elladan and Elrohir looked at her curiously.
"Kari?" Elrohir asked as his wife continued to stare at Rachel where she lay on her bed. She remained still, and Elrohir might have been worried, but Kari had the look and feel of one thinking hard, so hard she'd forgotten her surroundings. Her mind felt as if it was abuzz, and thoughts and emotions flickered through her eyes. Eventually, she looked up at them.
"Where's Glorfindel?" she asked. The question caught the twins off guard, and they looked at her in surprise.
"Rivendell, I imagine." Elrohir said finally.
"He was supposed to be the head of Arwen's escort, should Frodo succeed and Aragorn claim the throne." Elladan supplied.
"And that means he won't get here until mid-summer. Crap." Kari rose and started pacing, glancing irritably about the room.
"Kari? What does Glorfindel have to do with Rachel?" Elladan asked in confusion after a moment. Kari glanced over at him in surprise for a moment, and then shook herself.
"I'm sorry; I forgot you would not know. Rachel and Glorfindel...became romantically involved while in Lothlórien. He was actually supposed to accompany us when we left to come here." Kari paused and frowned slightly before continuing, "But the night before we were to leave, something happened. Rachel claimed at first that a messenger had come in from Rivendell and Glorfindel needed to take care of some business and would catch up with us later - but when he didn't show up, I confronted her about it, and she admitted that she and Glorfindel got into a fight. So we left a little early, and without Glorfindel.
"I think she expected him to come running after her when he discovered she was gone, or maybe she just had not - no, I'm betting she expected him to follow. At any rate, a messenger from Rivendell apparently actually DID come in shortly after we left. Gandalf said that Glorfindel and the messenger were just leaving Lothlórien, heading north towards Rivendell, when Gwaihir flew him in. So Glorfindel didn't follow." Kari stopped and frowned at Rachel.
"And how does this connect to Rachel fading?" Elladan asked, still sounding confused.
"That was Rachel's tale about what happened, with additions from Gandalf." Kari said thoughtfully. "I do not think it is the absolute truth, however. You two know of Rachel's and my true origins?"
"Rachel has told us that she comes from a different world, yes." Elrohir said, and then looked intently at his wife. "You come from there as well, then? And have read the books Rachel has spoken of?" Kari nodded. "I had suspected as much, though both you and Rachel have hedged around ever outright telling me so." Kari smiled faintly, reminding herself to thank Rachel later for not telling Elrohir about her coming from another world. She had rather suspected that Elrohir already knew, however - she had babbled quite a bit after Rachel's apparent 'suicide', and Elrohir had stayed by her side for most of that time.
"There were no Elves in the world we came from, and therefore, no extensive knowledge about Elvish customs." Kari began pacing once again. "And Rachel, having fled only a few days after our arrival and spent most of the intervening years among humans, would not have had the opportunity to learn of them, as I have." Kari said. "This, then, is what I think happened:
"I received word from Haldir the afternoon before we left that Rachel seemed to have collapsed from grief in the forest. Boromir, who Rachel was close to, had just left, and since I knew, as well as she did, that he was doomed to die a few days later, I assumed that this was due to the realization hitting Rachel that he was shortly going to be gone. Rachel tends to have delayed reactions to death." Kari smiled wryly for a moment before continuing.
"At any rate, Haldir said that Glorfindel had been fetched, so I let it be, knowing of their relationship. And this..." Kari paused. "This is where it gets a little difficult to understand. Where Rachel and I come from, the sort of morals and values you uphold as a matter of course are, by and large, thought of as somewhat old-fashioned and prudish. In fact, most of those women here in Middle-Earth who you might label sluts or whores would be considered conservative where we come from." Kari was back to pacing.
"It is this rather...loose atmosphere that has led to some rather - err - interesting customs. Or events. I will not go into detail about them, as they would probably break your brains, if you could ever manage to understand them at all. The one I think that is at fault here, however, is something that would politely be called 'comfort sex'." Elladan and Elrohir made startled noises at the same time, looking at Kari in surprise. She smiled back at them wryly. "It's less politely known as 'funeral sex'." Both twins twitched, and Kari grinned at having found something that they both thought went too far.
"You must understand, Rachel has never been loose with her affections. I was far worse than her, actually." Kari continued. Elrohir looked a little surprised at that revelation, but said nothing. "And also...Rachel can be extremely emotional at times, when something touches her deeply. Normally, there is some thought involved with her actions, though it might not seem like it. But once and awhile, something will touch her core, and she will get very emotional and unpredictable, especially if it's a negative emotion like grief. She might try and hold it in, but if there is comfort offered, she'll be there like a fly to honey." Kari said. There was silence for a moment.
"So you think that Rachel might have..." Elrohir trailed off, looking over at the - for all intensive purposes - unconscious Elf on the bed. Kari nodded.
"Glorfindel probably left, either not wanting to bond with her, or not bond with her at that time." she said. "Rachel most likely took it as an insult, and thus we left Lothlórien without Glorfindel."
"And when Rachel found out the truth of the matter, she realized the mistake and figured that Glorfindel probably despises her because of what she tried to do." Elrohir finished for his wife. There was absolute silence in the room as the twins and Kari looked at each other.
"We need to go get Glorfindel." Elladan said finally, softly. "He is the only one with a chance of helping Rachel."
"Yes..." Kari said thoughtfully. "But you two can't break from the chain of events." Kari frowned, staring at Rachel. Silence fell again as Elrohir and Elladan looked at Kari in confusion, wondering what she was talking about but unwilling to break into her thoughts. Then, abruptly, Kari let out an irritated sigh. "Dammit, Rachel's the one who knows all the dates! I can't do this!" Kari growled. "Bah. Alright, this is what we'll do. ONE of you is going to go find Glorfindel and tell him to get his ass over here. The other one is going to stay here and pretend nothing is wrong. Hopefully, that way nothing will get messed up too badly." Elrohir arched an eyebrow, and then looked at Elladan.
"Going!" Elladan replied, and dashed out of the room.
"Right." Kari said with an emphatic nod, then suddenly sagged, as if her energy had left her, and Elrohir quickly rushed over and lifted her into his arms.
"Have you been watching over Rachel by yourself?" he asked his wife with concern. She shook her head weakly.
"Faramir helped." she said.
"But he has duties as a Steward, and so you did most of the watching." Elrohir filled in the unspoken part, pursing his lips in slight annoyance. Then he sighed. "It is off to bed with you, then."
"But Rachel -" Kari started, and Elrohir cut her off with a kiss.
"I shall look after Rachel once you are safely put to bed." he said softly. Kari nodded meekly, and let herself be carried off to her room. She was already asleep when her husband tucked her into bed.
---
"Leaving already?" Elladan whirled at the curious question, and then chuckled to himself as he saw it was only Mithrandir.
"Yes, there is an urgent message I must take to Rivendell - or Lothlórien. Wherever Lord Glorfindel is, actually." Elladan said, returning his attention to brushing down his horse in preparation to go out and get dirty and tired. (Also known as going on another journey.)
"This message is about Rachel?" Mithrandir inquired, and Elladan nodded. "Ah." There was a moment's pause, and then the Maia whistled, bringing Shadowfax from his stall - which had been left open out of respect for the Mearas' intelligence - at a trot. Elladan watched curiously out of the corner of his eye as the wizard spoke quietly to the Chief of Horses.
Just as Elladan was about to go fetch his horses saddle, Shadowfax's head shot up and he let out a whinny that sounded very indignant. The Mearas pranced in place for a moment, then made to bite Mithrandir, but the wizard just dodged and chuckled. The Chief of Horses then, to Elladan's great surprise, turned his attention to Elladan and his horse. A few brief whinnies, and Elladan's horse calmly trotted back to its stall all by itself. Elladan stared after it, then over at Shadowfax.
"I WAS going to ride him, you know." he commented. Shadowfax let out another indignant whinny, then walked over to Elladan and butted him in the chest. The Peredhil staggered back a step, then looked up at Shadowfax, and over to Mithrandir, in confusion.
"Do you not wish me to go?" he queried. Mithrandir chuckled.
"No, my dear boy." he said. "On the contrary. I want you to get there as fast as possible. Therefore I have asked Shadowfax to bear you. Lord Glorfindel can return on him, and with the speed Shadowfax can travel, he might just reach here before Rachel fades." Elladan blinked, and latched onto the first thing that sunk in.
"How did you know Rachel is fading?" he asked.
"I'm a wizard." Mithrandir said with a grin, then sobered, "And it was not difficult to tell, even from the brief glimpse I had of her before you and your brother whisked her away."
"Oh." Elladan said. There was a moment of stillness, and then Elladan glanced over at Shadowfax. "Sooo...I get to ride you?" Shadowfax let out a snort and butted Elladan's shoulder. Elladan smiled somewhat sarcastically. "My apologies. You shall be letting me hang onto your back as you run pell-mell across two, possibly three, kingdoms?" Shadowfax neighed agreement and pranced around a bit. "And I suppose this means I shall have to put all my stuff in a pack and carry it myself."
"Of course." Mithrandir said, and Elladan let out a dejected sigh. Mithrandir chuckled. "Come now, Elladan, think of it as a new experience. One of few, I'm sure, that are left to you, since you have been so busy and adventurous for the past 3000 years." Elladan eyed the wizard, wondering whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, and ended out deciding that it would probably be better to just take it as it was given, and let it lie.
"Well then, give me a few moments to repack my things and we shall be on our way." Elladan said, bowing slightly to Shadowfax, and then went off to hunt down a backpack and see about arranging his few things from his saddlebags in it. Less than an hour later, he returned, and moments after that, he was speeding away over the Pelennor Fields at what was, even to him, a very frightening speed.
---
In the end, Elladan and Shadowfax almost ran past Arwen and her escort, who were on their way to Lothlórien from Rivendell. Elladan and Shadowfax had stopped briefly in Lothlórien, surprising Galadriel and Celeborn immensely, but when they found that the escort had not yet reached the Golden Wood, they stayed only long enough to eat before heading off again. The next day, it was around noon when Elladan spotted the escort off to the west, and by the time he had gotten that information through to Shadowfax, the Mearas had to turn around and run south again, as well as west, to meet up with the column.
Elrond and Arwen, not to mention Glorfindel, were heartily surprised to have a Mearas gallop up to meet them as they calmly made their way to Lothlórien. But they all went into shock for a few moments when they realized who was ON the Mearas. Then Arwen groaned lightly, knowing Elladan would never let her or Elrohir forget that he had gotten to ride the Chief of all Horses, and they hadn't. The groan broke the spell of surprise, and Elladan jumped cheerfully down off of Shadowfax, being sure to thank the horse, before going to greet his father and sister, who had also dismounted.
"Greetings, Elladan!" Elrond said, and the greeting was returned enthusiastically by his son. Arwen said hello, as well, and then Elrond spoke up again. "What are you doing here? We did not expect to see either you or your brother until we at least reached Lothlórien."
"I have a message to deliver." Elladan replied, sobering suddenly. "Nothing to do with Aragorn, or you, or anyone actually related to us by blood." Elladan amended when he saw the fearful look cross his sister's face. "In fact, it's not even TO either of you!" he said cheerfully. Elrond arched an eyebrow at his son.
"Then, since this message appears to have been urgent enough to warrant its deliverer being carried by Shadowfax, I suggest you find the one who it IS to, and deliver it." he said pointedly. Elladan grinned momentarily, then sobered again, and looked past his father and sister to where Glorfindel still sat on Asfaloth.
"Lord Glorfindel, may I speak with you a moment away from the others?" Elladan called politely to the elder Elf. Glorfindel looked somewhat surprised, but nodded and dismounted. He came over to Elladan, who then led him off behind Shadowfax, shielding them from the view of the rest of the column. Once they were there, Elladan simply stood silent for a moment, seeming to consider his message, and Glorfindel arched an eyebrow.
"I believe you wished to speak with me, not attempt to imitate your father?" the Balrog-slayer said after a moment, and Elladan smiled slightly.
"Sorry, I was just trying to figure out how to phrase what needs to be said." he said.
"To the point would work nicely." Glorfindel said dryly. "We wish to camp within sight of Lothlórien tonight, and we will not be able to do so if you hold us up for an hour with your ramblings."
"This is not the sort of thing to say bluntly, but if you wish it." Elladan said with a shrug, then looked Glorfindel in the eyes and said quietly. "Rachel is fading." Glorfindel blinked.
"What?" he asked, obviously thinking he had misheard - never mind that he had most likely never misheard anything in his entire life.
"Rachel is fading." Elladan repeated. Glorfindel looked at him with a stunned expression. That, more than anything, confirmed for Elladan what Kari had said.
"Why?" Glorfindel finally managed to ask, sounding somewhat strangled.
"We - Kari, Elrohir and I - are not quite sure. Kari believes that Rachel might think you despise her." Elladan said after a pause.
"Why?" Glorfindel asked again, this time in confusion.
"Well...due to the curiosity of a certain, unnamed Steward of Gondor, Rachel found out about Elvish courting and marriage, and-" Elladan was cut of by an impressive stream of swears from Glorfindel.
"How long ago did this happen?" Glorfindel asked.
"I am unsure of the exact date, but I believe it was just over a month ago." Elladan replied.
"And none of you thought to come get me before now?" Glorfindel's voice was dangerously low, and Elladan swallowed, suddenly feeling admiration for the Balrog that had stood up to the Elf-lord before him.
"Kari was not sure of what was ailing Rachel, at first - she does not have experience with fading, except for with mother, and then it was blatantly obvious why she was fading. Rachel has barely spoken since she started fading, and she did not tell Kari the truth about whatever falling out you two had before the two of them left Lothlórien." the Peredhil explained hastily, barely having the presence of mind not to blurt out Kari's theory about what Rachel and Glorfindel's 'falling out' was.
The thought 'please don't kill me' ran through Elladan's head several times as the Balrog-slayer continued to glare down at him, and then the Elf-lord's anger drained away, to be replaced with a very uneasy look. Elladan wondered at the change, and then saw Glorfindel glance over Shadowfax's back at the rest of the column. The Peredhil sighed.
"You had better be thinking about taking Asfaloth and heading off for Minas Tirith at top speed." he said.
"I cannot leave the escort without a commander." Glorfindel said, sounding very torn.
"I think my father would agree that saving Rachel from fading is more important than commanding an escort, hm?" Elladan said impatiently. "I can command the escort as well as you. Take Shadowfax and go to Minas Tirith." Glorfindel blinked.
"Take Shadowfax?" he asked. Shadowfax, who had apparently been listening to the entire conversation, whickered in confirmation, giving Glorfindel's shoulder a nudge.
"No other horse will get you there in time." Elladan said flatly, once more looking Glorfindel in the eyes. Glorfindel hesitated for only a second more, then leaped up onto Shadowfax, and Elladan barely had time to step back before the Mearas took off at a gallop again. Elladan was left coughing in the dust. When it cleared, he looked up to find his father watching him expectantly.
"It appears I am to be in charge of the escort now!" he said cheerfully. There was a pause.
"Indeed." said Elrond, arching an eyebrow.
----To be continued...with Glorfindel and Rachel's reunion!----
(And one REALLY confused King of Gondor!)
-Authors Note:-
Y'know, it's kind of funny that all you out in reviewer-land (*waves* Hi, what's up?) were madder about the cliff-hanger than the whole Glorfindel/Rachel split up...I mean, I got more death threats for writing a cliff-hanger than I did for splitting the main couple of the story up! I find that...odd. Understandable, but odd...
Yes. I saw 'Deep Impact' today. Elijah Wood is such an almost unbearable cutie sometimes. Not when he's three feet high with big hairy feet and a lot of angst, though. (Hobbit fans, please don't kill me...I do have an appreciation for hobbits in me - but mostly for Pippin.)
Anyways. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. Even if you do send me death threats for leaving you hanging, your reviews are appreciated. They let me know that people are out there reading this story (sometimes, scarily, all the way through in as close to one sitting as one can get) and that they, sometimes, appreciate it.
And with that, I'll see ya Wednesday evening/Thursday! Possibly even before then with some revisions of a few earlier chapters that I've been intending to do for awhile now!
~Crimson Starlight
Before we get to the disclaimer...Glorfindel's on the character list for the 'Lord of the Rings' section now! WOOHOO!
And now we will have the actual chapter...
-Disclaimer:-
Rachel: Hey, look, another disclaimer!
CS: *continues what she was doing*
Rachel: Damn, hoped that might make her stop.
Kari: Nothing'll make her stop. She's on a mission of vengeance.
Rachel: A mission of vengeance? By running in random polygons?!
Kari: *nod* She's running in random polygons at the sky because it decided to precipitate on her when she brought her art folder home from school, thereby getting the PAPER folder wet.
Rachel: Precipitate? Wouldn't it be easier to say that it rained?
CS: Indubitably. *continues running in random polygons at the sky while muttering about how fun it is to say 'indubitably'*
Rachel: *blink* So why don't you say that 'it rained' instead of 'it precipitated'?
Kari: Because it didn't just rain. There was freezing rain, rain, hail and snow during the twenty minute walk.
Rachel: O.o Odd weather.
CS: Welcome to the prairies. I own nothing, by the way. Not even random polygons. *continues running in random polygons*
(This disclaimer brought to you by the large bag of Starbursts that Crimson Starlight consumed this afternoon all by herself)
-68: Fading-
Kari sat down with a thump, staring at Elrohir in shock.
"What?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Rachel is fading." Elladan repeated for his twin, who now knelt next to his wife, once again wrapping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer to him.
"But...why?" Kari asked in a daze. Elladan shrugged.
"What has happened recently that would cause her grief?" he asked.
"Nothing...nothing at all!" Kari replied dejectedly. "She, Faramir and I were just talking in the gardens of the Houses of Healing, and then suddenly she got quiet and pale, said she was an idiot, and ran off up to her room. She has been like this ever since!"
"What were you speaking about?" Elladan asked with a frown.
"Courting customs of Elves! Faramir was curious, and I got talking about -" Kari's eyes widened as she abruptly stopped talking, and then, after a moment, she said, very quietly, "Oh." Elladan and Elrohir looked at her curiously.
"Kari?" Elrohir asked as his wife continued to stare at Rachel where she lay on her bed. She remained still, and Elrohir might have been worried, but Kari had the look and feel of one thinking hard, so hard she'd forgotten her surroundings. Her mind felt as if it was abuzz, and thoughts and emotions flickered through her eyes. Eventually, she looked up at them.
"Where's Glorfindel?" she asked. The question caught the twins off guard, and they looked at her in surprise.
"Rivendell, I imagine." Elrohir said finally.
"He was supposed to be the head of Arwen's escort, should Frodo succeed and Aragorn claim the throne." Elladan supplied.
"And that means he won't get here until mid-summer. Crap." Kari rose and started pacing, glancing irritably about the room.
"Kari? What does Glorfindel have to do with Rachel?" Elladan asked in confusion after a moment. Kari glanced over at him in surprise for a moment, and then shook herself.
"I'm sorry; I forgot you would not know. Rachel and Glorfindel...became romantically involved while in Lothlórien. He was actually supposed to accompany us when we left to come here." Kari paused and frowned slightly before continuing, "But the night before we were to leave, something happened. Rachel claimed at first that a messenger had come in from Rivendell and Glorfindel needed to take care of some business and would catch up with us later - but when he didn't show up, I confronted her about it, and she admitted that she and Glorfindel got into a fight. So we left a little early, and without Glorfindel.
"I think she expected him to come running after her when he discovered she was gone, or maybe she just had not - no, I'm betting she expected him to follow. At any rate, a messenger from Rivendell apparently actually DID come in shortly after we left. Gandalf said that Glorfindel and the messenger were just leaving Lothlórien, heading north towards Rivendell, when Gwaihir flew him in. So Glorfindel didn't follow." Kari stopped and frowned at Rachel.
"And how does this connect to Rachel fading?" Elladan asked, still sounding confused.
"That was Rachel's tale about what happened, with additions from Gandalf." Kari said thoughtfully. "I do not think it is the absolute truth, however. You two know of Rachel's and my true origins?"
"Rachel has told us that she comes from a different world, yes." Elrohir said, and then looked intently at his wife. "You come from there as well, then? And have read the books Rachel has spoken of?" Kari nodded. "I had suspected as much, though both you and Rachel have hedged around ever outright telling me so." Kari smiled faintly, reminding herself to thank Rachel later for not telling Elrohir about her coming from another world. She had rather suspected that Elrohir already knew, however - she had babbled quite a bit after Rachel's apparent 'suicide', and Elrohir had stayed by her side for most of that time.
"There were no Elves in the world we came from, and therefore, no extensive knowledge about Elvish customs." Kari began pacing once again. "And Rachel, having fled only a few days after our arrival and spent most of the intervening years among humans, would not have had the opportunity to learn of them, as I have." Kari said. "This, then, is what I think happened:
"I received word from Haldir the afternoon before we left that Rachel seemed to have collapsed from grief in the forest. Boromir, who Rachel was close to, had just left, and since I knew, as well as she did, that he was doomed to die a few days later, I assumed that this was due to the realization hitting Rachel that he was shortly going to be gone. Rachel tends to have delayed reactions to death." Kari smiled wryly for a moment before continuing.
"At any rate, Haldir said that Glorfindel had been fetched, so I let it be, knowing of their relationship. And this..." Kari paused. "This is where it gets a little difficult to understand. Where Rachel and I come from, the sort of morals and values you uphold as a matter of course are, by and large, thought of as somewhat old-fashioned and prudish. In fact, most of those women here in Middle-Earth who you might label sluts or whores would be considered conservative where we come from." Kari was back to pacing.
"It is this rather...loose atmosphere that has led to some rather - err - interesting customs. Or events. I will not go into detail about them, as they would probably break your brains, if you could ever manage to understand them at all. The one I think that is at fault here, however, is something that would politely be called 'comfort sex'." Elladan and Elrohir made startled noises at the same time, looking at Kari in surprise. She smiled back at them wryly. "It's less politely known as 'funeral sex'." Both twins twitched, and Kari grinned at having found something that they both thought went too far.
"You must understand, Rachel has never been loose with her affections. I was far worse than her, actually." Kari continued. Elrohir looked a little surprised at that revelation, but said nothing. "And also...Rachel can be extremely emotional at times, when something touches her deeply. Normally, there is some thought involved with her actions, though it might not seem like it. But once and awhile, something will touch her core, and she will get very emotional and unpredictable, especially if it's a negative emotion like grief. She might try and hold it in, but if there is comfort offered, she'll be there like a fly to honey." Kari said. There was silence for a moment.
"So you think that Rachel might have..." Elrohir trailed off, looking over at the - for all intensive purposes - unconscious Elf on the bed. Kari nodded.
"Glorfindel probably left, either not wanting to bond with her, or not bond with her at that time." she said. "Rachel most likely took it as an insult, and thus we left Lothlórien without Glorfindel."
"And when Rachel found out the truth of the matter, she realized the mistake and figured that Glorfindel probably despises her because of what she tried to do." Elrohir finished for his wife. There was absolute silence in the room as the twins and Kari looked at each other.
"We need to go get Glorfindel." Elladan said finally, softly. "He is the only one with a chance of helping Rachel."
"Yes..." Kari said thoughtfully. "But you two can't break from the chain of events." Kari frowned, staring at Rachel. Silence fell again as Elrohir and Elladan looked at Kari in confusion, wondering what she was talking about but unwilling to break into her thoughts. Then, abruptly, Kari let out an irritated sigh. "Dammit, Rachel's the one who knows all the dates! I can't do this!" Kari growled. "Bah. Alright, this is what we'll do. ONE of you is going to go find Glorfindel and tell him to get his ass over here. The other one is going to stay here and pretend nothing is wrong. Hopefully, that way nothing will get messed up too badly." Elrohir arched an eyebrow, and then looked at Elladan.
"Going!" Elladan replied, and dashed out of the room.
"Right." Kari said with an emphatic nod, then suddenly sagged, as if her energy had left her, and Elrohir quickly rushed over and lifted her into his arms.
"Have you been watching over Rachel by yourself?" he asked his wife with concern. She shook her head weakly.
"Faramir helped." she said.
"But he has duties as a Steward, and so you did most of the watching." Elrohir filled in the unspoken part, pursing his lips in slight annoyance. Then he sighed. "It is off to bed with you, then."
"But Rachel -" Kari started, and Elrohir cut her off with a kiss.
"I shall look after Rachel once you are safely put to bed." he said softly. Kari nodded meekly, and let herself be carried off to her room. She was already asleep when her husband tucked her into bed.
---
"Leaving already?" Elladan whirled at the curious question, and then chuckled to himself as he saw it was only Mithrandir.
"Yes, there is an urgent message I must take to Rivendell - or Lothlórien. Wherever Lord Glorfindel is, actually." Elladan said, returning his attention to brushing down his horse in preparation to go out and get dirty and tired. (Also known as going on another journey.)
"This message is about Rachel?" Mithrandir inquired, and Elladan nodded. "Ah." There was a moment's pause, and then the Maia whistled, bringing Shadowfax from his stall - which had been left open out of respect for the Mearas' intelligence - at a trot. Elladan watched curiously out of the corner of his eye as the wizard spoke quietly to the Chief of Horses.
Just as Elladan was about to go fetch his horses saddle, Shadowfax's head shot up and he let out a whinny that sounded very indignant. The Mearas pranced in place for a moment, then made to bite Mithrandir, but the wizard just dodged and chuckled. The Chief of Horses then, to Elladan's great surprise, turned his attention to Elladan and his horse. A few brief whinnies, and Elladan's horse calmly trotted back to its stall all by itself. Elladan stared after it, then over at Shadowfax.
"I WAS going to ride him, you know." he commented. Shadowfax let out another indignant whinny, then walked over to Elladan and butted him in the chest. The Peredhil staggered back a step, then looked up at Shadowfax, and over to Mithrandir, in confusion.
"Do you not wish me to go?" he queried. Mithrandir chuckled.
"No, my dear boy." he said. "On the contrary. I want you to get there as fast as possible. Therefore I have asked Shadowfax to bear you. Lord Glorfindel can return on him, and with the speed Shadowfax can travel, he might just reach here before Rachel fades." Elladan blinked, and latched onto the first thing that sunk in.
"How did you know Rachel is fading?" he asked.
"I'm a wizard." Mithrandir said with a grin, then sobered, "And it was not difficult to tell, even from the brief glimpse I had of her before you and your brother whisked her away."
"Oh." Elladan said. There was a moment of stillness, and then Elladan glanced over at Shadowfax. "Sooo...I get to ride you?" Shadowfax let out a snort and butted Elladan's shoulder. Elladan smiled somewhat sarcastically. "My apologies. You shall be letting me hang onto your back as you run pell-mell across two, possibly three, kingdoms?" Shadowfax neighed agreement and pranced around a bit. "And I suppose this means I shall have to put all my stuff in a pack and carry it myself."
"Of course." Mithrandir said, and Elladan let out a dejected sigh. Mithrandir chuckled. "Come now, Elladan, think of it as a new experience. One of few, I'm sure, that are left to you, since you have been so busy and adventurous for the past 3000 years." Elladan eyed the wizard, wondering whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, and ended out deciding that it would probably be better to just take it as it was given, and let it lie.
"Well then, give me a few moments to repack my things and we shall be on our way." Elladan said, bowing slightly to Shadowfax, and then went off to hunt down a backpack and see about arranging his few things from his saddlebags in it. Less than an hour later, he returned, and moments after that, he was speeding away over the Pelennor Fields at what was, even to him, a very frightening speed.
---
In the end, Elladan and Shadowfax almost ran past Arwen and her escort, who were on their way to Lothlórien from Rivendell. Elladan and Shadowfax had stopped briefly in Lothlórien, surprising Galadriel and Celeborn immensely, but when they found that the escort had not yet reached the Golden Wood, they stayed only long enough to eat before heading off again. The next day, it was around noon when Elladan spotted the escort off to the west, and by the time he had gotten that information through to Shadowfax, the Mearas had to turn around and run south again, as well as west, to meet up with the column.
Elrond and Arwen, not to mention Glorfindel, were heartily surprised to have a Mearas gallop up to meet them as they calmly made their way to Lothlórien. But they all went into shock for a few moments when they realized who was ON the Mearas. Then Arwen groaned lightly, knowing Elladan would never let her or Elrohir forget that he had gotten to ride the Chief of all Horses, and they hadn't. The groan broke the spell of surprise, and Elladan jumped cheerfully down off of Shadowfax, being sure to thank the horse, before going to greet his father and sister, who had also dismounted.
"Greetings, Elladan!" Elrond said, and the greeting was returned enthusiastically by his son. Arwen said hello, as well, and then Elrond spoke up again. "What are you doing here? We did not expect to see either you or your brother until we at least reached Lothlórien."
"I have a message to deliver." Elladan replied, sobering suddenly. "Nothing to do with Aragorn, or you, or anyone actually related to us by blood." Elladan amended when he saw the fearful look cross his sister's face. "In fact, it's not even TO either of you!" he said cheerfully. Elrond arched an eyebrow at his son.
"Then, since this message appears to have been urgent enough to warrant its deliverer being carried by Shadowfax, I suggest you find the one who it IS to, and deliver it." he said pointedly. Elladan grinned momentarily, then sobered again, and looked past his father and sister to where Glorfindel still sat on Asfaloth.
"Lord Glorfindel, may I speak with you a moment away from the others?" Elladan called politely to the elder Elf. Glorfindel looked somewhat surprised, but nodded and dismounted. He came over to Elladan, who then led him off behind Shadowfax, shielding them from the view of the rest of the column. Once they were there, Elladan simply stood silent for a moment, seeming to consider his message, and Glorfindel arched an eyebrow.
"I believe you wished to speak with me, not attempt to imitate your father?" the Balrog-slayer said after a moment, and Elladan smiled slightly.
"Sorry, I was just trying to figure out how to phrase what needs to be said." he said.
"To the point would work nicely." Glorfindel said dryly. "We wish to camp within sight of Lothlórien tonight, and we will not be able to do so if you hold us up for an hour with your ramblings."
"This is not the sort of thing to say bluntly, but if you wish it." Elladan said with a shrug, then looked Glorfindel in the eyes and said quietly. "Rachel is fading." Glorfindel blinked.
"What?" he asked, obviously thinking he had misheard - never mind that he had most likely never misheard anything in his entire life.
"Rachel is fading." Elladan repeated. Glorfindel looked at him with a stunned expression. That, more than anything, confirmed for Elladan what Kari had said.
"Why?" Glorfindel finally managed to ask, sounding somewhat strangled.
"We - Kari, Elrohir and I - are not quite sure. Kari believes that Rachel might think you despise her." Elladan said after a pause.
"Why?" Glorfindel asked again, this time in confusion.
"Well...due to the curiosity of a certain, unnamed Steward of Gondor, Rachel found out about Elvish courting and marriage, and-" Elladan was cut of by an impressive stream of swears from Glorfindel.
"How long ago did this happen?" Glorfindel asked.
"I am unsure of the exact date, but I believe it was just over a month ago." Elladan replied.
"And none of you thought to come get me before now?" Glorfindel's voice was dangerously low, and Elladan swallowed, suddenly feeling admiration for the Balrog that had stood up to the Elf-lord before him.
"Kari was not sure of what was ailing Rachel, at first - she does not have experience with fading, except for with mother, and then it was blatantly obvious why she was fading. Rachel has barely spoken since she started fading, and she did not tell Kari the truth about whatever falling out you two had before the two of them left Lothlórien." the Peredhil explained hastily, barely having the presence of mind not to blurt out Kari's theory about what Rachel and Glorfindel's 'falling out' was.
The thought 'please don't kill me' ran through Elladan's head several times as the Balrog-slayer continued to glare down at him, and then the Elf-lord's anger drained away, to be replaced with a very uneasy look. Elladan wondered at the change, and then saw Glorfindel glance over Shadowfax's back at the rest of the column. The Peredhil sighed.
"You had better be thinking about taking Asfaloth and heading off for Minas Tirith at top speed." he said.
"I cannot leave the escort without a commander." Glorfindel said, sounding very torn.
"I think my father would agree that saving Rachel from fading is more important than commanding an escort, hm?" Elladan said impatiently. "I can command the escort as well as you. Take Shadowfax and go to Minas Tirith." Glorfindel blinked.
"Take Shadowfax?" he asked. Shadowfax, who had apparently been listening to the entire conversation, whickered in confirmation, giving Glorfindel's shoulder a nudge.
"No other horse will get you there in time." Elladan said flatly, once more looking Glorfindel in the eyes. Glorfindel hesitated for only a second more, then leaped up onto Shadowfax, and Elladan barely had time to step back before the Mearas took off at a gallop again. Elladan was left coughing in the dust. When it cleared, he looked up to find his father watching him expectantly.
"It appears I am to be in charge of the escort now!" he said cheerfully. There was a pause.
"Indeed." said Elrond, arching an eyebrow.
----To be continued...with Glorfindel and Rachel's reunion!----
(And one REALLY confused King of Gondor!)
-Authors Note:-
Y'know, it's kind of funny that all you out in reviewer-land (*waves* Hi, what's up?) were madder about the cliff-hanger than the whole Glorfindel/Rachel split up...I mean, I got more death threats for writing a cliff-hanger than I did for splitting the main couple of the story up! I find that...odd. Understandable, but odd...
Yes. I saw 'Deep Impact' today. Elijah Wood is such an almost unbearable cutie sometimes. Not when he's three feet high with big hairy feet and a lot of angst, though. (Hobbit fans, please don't kill me...I do have an appreciation for hobbits in me - but mostly for Pippin.)
Anyways. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. Even if you do send me death threats for leaving you hanging, your reviews are appreciated. They let me know that people are out there reading this story (sometimes, scarily, all the way through in as close to one sitting as one can get) and that they, sometimes, appreciate it.
And with that, I'll see ya Wednesday evening/Thursday! Possibly even before then with some revisions of a few earlier chapters that I've been intending to do for awhile now!
~Crimson Starlight