Chapter Four: Conversations


As Legolas and I entered the dining hall, I felt more cheerful than I had in years. I'd forgotten how much I could enjoy the company of another person, even if it was just one person. Even though I couldn't tell him who I really was, I merely enjoyed being in his presence, talking about whatever entered our minds at the moment.

We were seated at the table opposite one another, amongst a group of elves, men--including Strider--and even dwarves. Both elves sitting on either side of me were over six feet tall, towering over me. I sat up straighter in my chair, and Legolas took notice.

"I think our new vertically challenged friend might find herself more at home amongst the hobbits than with us, don't you agree?" he joked, invoking laughter from around the table.

I smirked, unfazed by the height comment. "Although I may be shorter than what is conceived as normal, I am no mental midget. Which is more than I can say for you."

The same group of elves that had laughed at me before were laughing with me now. Out of the corner of my eye, I even saw Strider lower his head so that he could chuckle a little.

"Don't let 'im mock ya, milady," said one of the dwarves. He, too, was having difficulty seeing over the elf-sized table. I leaned forward so that I could see him better. "T'be honest, I could fit ya in me saddlebag, but there's somethin' in ya tha' no elf or man can break. Spirit, milady, great spirit! Something that, up to this point, I'd only recognized in dwarves!"

I smiled, probably one of the first genuine smiles in a long time. I'm sure one of the elves would have made some less-than-flattering comeback had Merry and Pippin not entered the hall then, laughing and bouncing along. Nearly everyone in the room stopped to look at them, not knowing what to do, and simply smiling at them. They took their seats at the end of the table, on elevated chairs and cushions brought in just for them. Pippin spotted me and waved, and I waved back.

A noise distracted me then, and I looked to the doorway to see Sam. He was leading another hobbit along, as though he were having trouble walking. This must be Frodo, I thought. He was slightly paler than his friends, walking more slowly, and bore a forced smile on his face. He was fairer than the other three, yet from the look in his eyes, he had an old soul.

As Frodo made his way closer towards the table, I could feel the area around me becoming colder. I swore I felt a draft, and I shivered. I could not take my eyes off the hobbit, and they widened when the Ring that hung around his neck came into view. At that moment, I felt the most undescribable moment of pain that I'd ever felt in my entire life. Everything around me dimmed, faded to grey, and everything inside me felt cold. I felt drained, but there was a burning in my chest. It was as though every tiny bit of heat had travelled and rested in my heart, and was burning me alive. It rose up to my throat, suffocating me. I blinked slowly, feeling the heat rise up, swearing that at any moment, it would swallow me whole....

Until I felt someone violently shaking my left arm. "My lady!" said the elf to my side. "I would appreciate it if you didn't lean on me."

"Uh, sorry," I said, sheepishly. I sat up straight, realizing that the pain that I had felt before had completely abandoned me. From across the table, I could see a worried look pass over Legolas's face.

"Are you alright, Silly?" he asked softly. "You looked ill."

I darted a glance down to where the hobbits were sitting. The four of them were sitting together, talking loudly and laughing every now and then. Frodo seemed more comfortable sitting down, and was slightly more cheerful than when I had first seen him. The Ring had now been carefully hidden under his shirt. I let out an internal sigh and turned back to Legolas.

"Yes," I told him. "I'm perfectly fine."

..................................................................................................................

Dinner commenced as usual. We began as soon as Elrond and his family entered and were seated. I stayed fairly quiet after my strange reaction to the Ring, answering only questions that were asked of me, and staying out of the conversations around me.

At one point during the evening, a guard from the outside walked over to Elrond and whispered something in his ear. He looked slightly alarmed, and gestured for Gandalf, Elladen and Elrohir to stand. He stood as well, and I watched as Elrohir strode over to me.

He bent down and whispered in my ear. "We need to see you for a few moments," he said softly.

I stood, glad for the interruption. Legolas looked confused, and stood as well. "My lady..."

"Stay," I commanded. I bit my lip, regretting the harshness in my tone. "I'll only be gone for a few moments."

He sat reluctantly back into his chair, and I let Elrohir lead me out of the dining hall and into a hallway. Elrond, Elladen, Gandalf, and the guard were waiting out there for us. "What's going on?"

Elrond looked quite miffed. "It seems as though a...vampire has been found in Rivendell." He said the word vampire as though there was a bad taste on the end of his tongue.

Gandalf raised a pair of surprised eyebrows, and I cocked my head to the side, disbelievingly. "But that's impossible," I argued. "No vampires are to enter here...at least not without an invitation."

"Apparently...it was an elvish vampire."

I raised my head slightly, understandingly. Elrohir looked confused. "Elves can turn into vampires?"

"Any living thing can turn into a vampire," I explained. "A squirrel could turn into a vampire. Elves tend to fall victim to vampires only when they are near death. If they are hurt in battle, and are not ready to give into life so quickly, they could turn to a vampire for help, do this really disgusting blood letting ritual, and it's finished. They don't die."

"The cowardice of these elves is the only reason I have for being even the tiniest bit ashamed for my kind," Elrond said quietly. "Come, now. This needs to be sorted out immediately."

The five of us followed the guard into a dungeon-like area where the vampire was being held. He led us to a small cell near the end of the room, wherin stood what appeared to be a vampire. He paced back and forth in his cellblock, completely calm...he was anything but vampire-esque. He certainly looked like an elvish vampire, though...bumpy forehead, sharp fangs, yellow eyes, elf ears, and long dark hair. But there was something about him that did not make him look as threatening as some other enemies I had come across.

"Let me in there with him," I told the guard.

"Silly," said Elrond, trying to reason with me.

The guard hesitated, and I nodded to him. He pulled out the key for the cell, and unlocked it. I slipped in quickly, then instructed him to close it and lock it behind me. I turned to the vampire, who looked confused as to why he was being intruded upon.

We stared at each other a few moments, then I spoke. "Are you hungry?" I asked him, eying him. I had a theory that needed testing.

He growled. "Yes."

I pulled my hair over to one shoulder, leaving one bare, revealing my neck. "Then drink. I care not."

Elrond stepped forward, as though to stop me, but Gandalf held him back. The vampire took an uncertain step towards me, and I did not waver. He kept coming closer, slowly, until we were but mere inches apart. I held my neck out further, and he opened his mouth. He lowered his mouth to my neck...but nothing. His fangs sat there for but a moment, then pushed a little. Still, nothing.

I rolled my eyes, and pushed him off me. Hard. He landed on the floor on his back, his eyes wide. "This is no vampire," I said. "Whoever he is, he is under some sort of veiling spell. Gandalf, I'll let you do the honors."

Gandalf stepped up to the bars of the cell, and I picked up the 'vampire' by the scruff of his neck. I thrust him forward to where Gandalf was standing. The wizard muttered a few soft words and waved a hand in front of his face. Before I knew it, I was no longer clutching a hideous elvish vampire, but a much smaller, and much less-threatening human. A man, with chin-length black hair and dark eyes. He whimpered.

"Well, here's a first for me," I said, setting him down. "A human disguised as an elf disguised as a vampire. A spy for Sauron, no doubt."

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked, frightened. He scooted back against the wall, cowering.

I sighed. "No, I'm not going to kill you. To kill you would make you seem important, and you are nothing more than a pawn in the Dark Lord's plan. He doesn't care if you live or die. But you might have some information that we could use. Am I right?"

He didn't say anything. He stayed against the wall, whimpering under his breath. I rolled my eyes, and turned back to my companions.

"Double the guard around Rivendell," I instructed. "Triple it at night. I don't know how many more of these spies there are, but they can enter the city and create havoc."

The guard looked unsure, and turned to Elrond, who nodded. "Do as she says." He looked back at me. "What should we do about our prisoner, here?"

I looked back at the man, then turned back to the guard, who let me quickly out of the cell. "Keep someone around here at all times. I don't want him left unguarded. No food or toiletry privelages; water only. If he decides he wants to talk, find me. Until then, keep him under close surveillance."

The guard then, realizing who was really in charge, rushed off to do his duty. Gandalf turned to face Elrond as we began walking back towards the dining hall. "Should we warn the members of the council of these spies at the meeting?"

"I'm not sure if we're even going to have a meeting at this point," Elrond replied, a tired look on his face. "Denethor has yet to send any word on Gondor's position in my council."

"What day is it now?" asked Elrohir.

"October the twenty-fourth," replied Gandalf. "This council really cannot be delayed any longer, Elrond."

He shut his eyes, and reopened them. "I agree." He looked back at Elrohir. "My son, send word to our guests that the meeting is to take place tomorrow at noon in the east courtyard. Silly, I'll leave it up to you to tell your...escort."

I noticed his hesitation on the last word, and frowned. Elladen and Elrohir exchanged a glance, and I eyed them, suspiciously. "What?" I snapped. Elrohir dared to smirk a tiny bit, and I glared at him. "I'm not going to marry him or anything! He just asked me if he could escort me to dinner...which was already an uncomfortable enough situation, seeing as how you so readily sent him into my bathing quarters this morning."

Elladen and Elrohir roared with laughter, and a twitch of a smile crossed Gandalf's face. Elrond merely raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would have been out of there by the time I sent him in. I'm also quite surprised you let him stay."

"And it's not like you wouldn't welcome some...fun," Elladen added, still laughing. "Legolas is a good match for you, Caran. He's attractive, not looking to settle down, and is a good friend."

I groaned. "Can we, for once, pretend that my private life is just that...my private life?"

"No," Elrohir joked, and they started laughing again.

"Really," I began, lecturing them, "this really isn't the time for me to be cavorting around without a care in the world. Middle Earth is on the verge of war, and I'm the vampire slayer. This...thing with Legolas is just a thing. A dinner. We have more important things to be worried about."

"She's right," Gandalf said softly. "The fate of Middle Earth is not an easy weight on our shoulders. Our concentration must be poured into destroying the Ring."

There was an agreeing silence following his speech as we made our way back to the dining hall. Elrond and his sons went ahead to take their seats, and I went to take mine, but before I could, Gandalf grabbed me by the forearm and held me.

"Silly," he said quietly, "I meant what I said before, how we should be concentrating on the Ring. But you have a right to be happy, mellonamin."

I averted my eyes, and he continued. "I know about your affair with Arathorn, and the amount of grief you must have felt. And although being the slayer has lassoed you with an enormous amount of responsibilities, but not being able to love isn't one of them. Legolas is a good person, Celaena."

He squeezed my shoulder, but I shook him off of me. "I know."

I didn't say anything else to him; I just went and took my seat. Legolas eyed me curiously, probably wondering what had happened while we had been gone. I avoided his gaze and ate the rest of my dinner without saying a word.