"I don't understand." Frodo panted, as he ran to catch up with the others.
They were now following Legolas and Anánia closely, and no one could see
what the two elves were being guided by.
"Arwen sent me a sign, in a dream." Aragorn explained. "I saw the evenstar fall, and then I found it."
"Legolas and Anánia can see elven writing, guiding us to Arwen's resting place." Gandalf continued. "I imagine it to be much like the enchantment on the door to Moria. The messages in the rocks are perhaps only visible by moonlight."
"Or only visible to elves when the evenstar pendant is around." Astor cried out from overhead. "Whatever it is, they are unwavering in their quest."
After perhaps half an hour of running Legolas and Anánia stopped. They halted by a sheer wall, smooth and almost entirely unbroken or weathered by the elements. The others came to a stop, all of the hobbits exhausted from the rapid climb. They were so high up that the air around them was thin, and it took them a long time to get their breath back.
"The words end here." Legolas explained. "There is one final word that I have not seen before. 'Gwinharyleb', I think it reads."
"No, it is 'Gwinharleth.'" Gandalf said. "It means 'Destination' in the elven of the ancient times. It would appear that this is the place we were searching for." The cave must be nearby." They all began searching around for a cave, but could find none. However Gimli, the shortest of the travelers, found something interesting after only a few minutes.
"Aragorn, Gandalf." He called. "I require your opinion." They all rushed over. Gimli was crouching by a crack in the smooth wall of the mountain. He looked up at Aragorn, who still clutched the evenstar pendant in his hand. "Pass me that trinket, Aragorn." He said. Aragorn passed it to Gimli, who held it up in front of the crack. He pushed the pendant into a small dip in the crack, and it fitted perfectly, like a piece of a jigsaw or a sword into its sheath.
Instantly the rock wall began to shake. They stood back quickly as tiny cracks started to appear in the surface, filled with light that was now being emitted from the evenstar pendant. Then the wall began to fold in on itself, creating a long and narrow passageway into the mountainside.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gandalf squeezed inside the hole, using his staff as a light. The others followed him cautiously down the passage.
The passage was straight, it neither narrowed nor widen, went up or down, and was not filled with water or dry as a bone. The rocks were smooth, as if it were a well worn passage, but there were no signs that anyone had ever been down the pathway before.
After a few minutes Gandalf stopped and gasped. They could not see past him, but they could tell that there was some light up ahead.
"We have indeed reached our destination." He confirmed. He moved forward and was surprised to feel fresh air on his face. There was a brilliant light up ahead. He emerged into a circular chasm that formed a 'room' within the mountain. The others emerged from the pathway behind him and gasped at the sight they saw.
The walls were smooth and almost black in colour, but water ran down them from an unseen source making the walls appear to sparkle like silver. But in the centre of the room lay a large, circular stone alter, illuminated by moonlight cast through a hole in the ceiling, very high up. And on this alter lay...
"Arwen!" Aragorn made to run over to the alter, but Gandalf held him back.
"Not yet Aragorn." He said, noticing the pained look on Aragorn's face at this restriction. "Remember, we must perform only the enchantment in its entirety. We must be careful not to do anything else but the enchantment." Aragorn nodded, not able to take his eyes off of the body laid on the circular alter.
She was dressed in a pure white dress and her ebony hair flowed loosely around her head. Her skin was like porcelain, pale and unbroken. Her mouth was closed, and her eyes shut. Her hands arranged on her chest in exactly the way that she had been set out for her funeral. It was as if her body had been merely laid to rest here, rather than at sea.
"How did she get here?" Frodo asked. "Her hearse fell into the sea. I saw her fall."
"The elves work in mysterious ways." Gandalf said simply. Slowly he walked over to the table and walked around it. "I understand now." He said. "There are nine parts to the enchantment, and there are nine places marked out around this table, each numbered in elven. Here is my place." He stood at it. "And the enchantment is written on my tablet. The other tablets have less writing, only the section of the ritual that concerns the participant. Aragorn, you are the first part, and must stand here." He directed them all to stand around the table in certain places. He was at the head of the table, with Frodo (participant number five) on his left and Sam, Merry and Pippin (the seventh part of the riddle) on his right. Eldarion was awake and seated on tablet number two, gurgling merrily and reaching out for the body of his mother.
"Is everyone ready to begin?" He asked. They all nodded solemnly, the time had come for them to try and bring Arwen back, or die trying. As Gandalf read out the first ritual, they realised there was no going back....
AN - hmm, short chapter and a huge cliff hanger, you are all going to hate me for this! Oh well, you know the drill read and review!
Response to reviewers
Alasse – I suppose this story could be set before they go to Valinor, but I did have to change a few things, but that would work indeed! Good idea. So not an alternate universe, but before the epilogue in the book...good one!
Valia-elf – I'm letting you guess how the pendant got there, another of the magical ways of the elves maybe...! Anyway, thanks for your review!
The True Evenstar – yep, my dedicated review you are indeed! You are the one of the ones who has been there from the start! I love you all!
Ciel-undomiel – hmmm, are you a fan of Aragorn by any remote chance? I agree, he is very cool! They have found her, but will the enchantment work...dun dun dun!
Luthea – it's hard to write Aragorn and Arwen moments, seeing as she is dead, but I'll see what I can do....
Cerridwen – I hate suspense too...unless I'm writing it of course, I just love getting reviews form people going "No, you can't leave a cliff hanger there! You just can't!"
Leggy/Orlando's Queen – yeah, its nearing an end this story. I might write a sequel, depending on if I get the inspiration to or not!
Julia – I could have made Aragorn go mad without Arwen, but then you would all hate me! Hopefully he will be a little saner now though!
Grumpy – I could picture the stars in the sky part easily, its cheesy but so effective!
Curlycurlz – yeah, thanks for the idea for that fight! No more now though...all will be happy...or will it???
Queen Arwen – I rate the next chapter as pretty good, but you will have to wait to read that! I'm not too keen on Eowyn either...but I do love her dresses!
Crazicari – glad you liked it! Hope you like this one too!
"Arwen sent me a sign, in a dream." Aragorn explained. "I saw the evenstar fall, and then I found it."
"Legolas and Anánia can see elven writing, guiding us to Arwen's resting place." Gandalf continued. "I imagine it to be much like the enchantment on the door to Moria. The messages in the rocks are perhaps only visible by moonlight."
"Or only visible to elves when the evenstar pendant is around." Astor cried out from overhead. "Whatever it is, they are unwavering in their quest."
After perhaps half an hour of running Legolas and Anánia stopped. They halted by a sheer wall, smooth and almost entirely unbroken or weathered by the elements. The others came to a stop, all of the hobbits exhausted from the rapid climb. They were so high up that the air around them was thin, and it took them a long time to get their breath back.
"The words end here." Legolas explained. "There is one final word that I have not seen before. 'Gwinharyleb', I think it reads."
"No, it is 'Gwinharleth.'" Gandalf said. "It means 'Destination' in the elven of the ancient times. It would appear that this is the place we were searching for." The cave must be nearby." They all began searching around for a cave, but could find none. However Gimli, the shortest of the travelers, found something interesting after only a few minutes.
"Aragorn, Gandalf." He called. "I require your opinion." They all rushed over. Gimli was crouching by a crack in the smooth wall of the mountain. He looked up at Aragorn, who still clutched the evenstar pendant in his hand. "Pass me that trinket, Aragorn." He said. Aragorn passed it to Gimli, who held it up in front of the crack. He pushed the pendant into a small dip in the crack, and it fitted perfectly, like a piece of a jigsaw or a sword into its sheath.
Instantly the rock wall began to shake. They stood back quickly as tiny cracks started to appear in the surface, filled with light that was now being emitted from the evenstar pendant. Then the wall began to fold in on itself, creating a long and narrow passageway into the mountainside.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gandalf squeezed inside the hole, using his staff as a light. The others followed him cautiously down the passage.
The passage was straight, it neither narrowed nor widen, went up or down, and was not filled with water or dry as a bone. The rocks were smooth, as if it were a well worn passage, but there were no signs that anyone had ever been down the pathway before.
After a few minutes Gandalf stopped and gasped. They could not see past him, but they could tell that there was some light up ahead.
"We have indeed reached our destination." He confirmed. He moved forward and was surprised to feel fresh air on his face. There was a brilliant light up ahead. He emerged into a circular chasm that formed a 'room' within the mountain. The others emerged from the pathway behind him and gasped at the sight they saw.
The walls were smooth and almost black in colour, but water ran down them from an unseen source making the walls appear to sparkle like silver. But in the centre of the room lay a large, circular stone alter, illuminated by moonlight cast through a hole in the ceiling, very high up. And on this alter lay...
"Arwen!" Aragorn made to run over to the alter, but Gandalf held him back.
"Not yet Aragorn." He said, noticing the pained look on Aragorn's face at this restriction. "Remember, we must perform only the enchantment in its entirety. We must be careful not to do anything else but the enchantment." Aragorn nodded, not able to take his eyes off of the body laid on the circular alter.
She was dressed in a pure white dress and her ebony hair flowed loosely around her head. Her skin was like porcelain, pale and unbroken. Her mouth was closed, and her eyes shut. Her hands arranged on her chest in exactly the way that she had been set out for her funeral. It was as if her body had been merely laid to rest here, rather than at sea.
"How did she get here?" Frodo asked. "Her hearse fell into the sea. I saw her fall."
"The elves work in mysterious ways." Gandalf said simply. Slowly he walked over to the table and walked around it. "I understand now." He said. "There are nine parts to the enchantment, and there are nine places marked out around this table, each numbered in elven. Here is my place." He stood at it. "And the enchantment is written on my tablet. The other tablets have less writing, only the section of the ritual that concerns the participant. Aragorn, you are the first part, and must stand here." He directed them all to stand around the table in certain places. He was at the head of the table, with Frodo (participant number five) on his left and Sam, Merry and Pippin (the seventh part of the riddle) on his right. Eldarion was awake and seated on tablet number two, gurgling merrily and reaching out for the body of his mother.
"Is everyone ready to begin?" He asked. They all nodded solemnly, the time had come for them to try and bring Arwen back, or die trying. As Gandalf read out the first ritual, they realised there was no going back....
AN - hmm, short chapter and a huge cliff hanger, you are all going to hate me for this! Oh well, you know the drill read and review!
Response to reviewers
Alasse – I suppose this story could be set before they go to Valinor, but I did have to change a few things, but that would work indeed! Good idea. So not an alternate universe, but before the epilogue in the book...good one!
Valia-elf – I'm letting you guess how the pendant got there, another of the magical ways of the elves maybe...! Anyway, thanks for your review!
The True Evenstar – yep, my dedicated review you are indeed! You are the one of the ones who has been there from the start! I love you all!
Ciel-undomiel – hmmm, are you a fan of Aragorn by any remote chance? I agree, he is very cool! They have found her, but will the enchantment work...dun dun dun!
Luthea – it's hard to write Aragorn and Arwen moments, seeing as she is dead, but I'll see what I can do....
Cerridwen – I hate suspense too...unless I'm writing it of course, I just love getting reviews form people going "No, you can't leave a cliff hanger there! You just can't!"
Leggy/Orlando's Queen – yeah, its nearing an end this story. I might write a sequel, depending on if I get the inspiration to or not!
Julia – I could have made Aragorn go mad without Arwen, but then you would all hate me! Hopefully he will be a little saner now though!
Grumpy – I could picture the stars in the sky part easily, its cheesy but so effective!
Curlycurlz – yeah, thanks for the idea for that fight! No more now though...all will be happy...or will it???
Queen Arwen – I rate the next chapter as pretty good, but you will have to wait to read that! I'm not too keen on Eowyn either...but I do love her dresses!
Crazicari – glad you liked it! Hope you like this one too!