AN: Wow. Gomen nasi for this huge unintentional delay. School is . . . insane. I am in desperate need of a vacation or at least some time for stuff to slow down and allow me to catch my breath. And gomen for taking forever to reply to emails or whatever- I have had very limited time online.
Hopefully this won't happen again. Hopefully. But don't be surprised if it does. I know what will happen, of course, but I haven't even started writing ch. 9 yet, let alone typing or editing it (I usually like to have the next chap ready when I upload the previous).
Oh well. Hennaid for your continued dedication and patience! Enjoy Ch. 8!
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"Don't grip the wood so tightly," instructed Haldir as he moved behind his pupil to help her. "If you held it any tighter, your knuckles would go white, and you would lose circulation in your hands," he tried to joke.
Celebithil paid no attention to his lame attempt at humor. She simply nodded slightly at his instructions and began to pull the string back and aim towards the distant upturned pail on a branch. "And don't be so harsh with the string," interrupted Haldir. Celebithil let go of the string in frustration, and with a slight 'twang', the bow relaxed. "This longbow may be a weapon of war and death," continued Haldir as he tried to teach her the ways of the Vakhar, "but treat the wood as a living tree and the string as that of a harp. Be gentle yet firm, and it will serve you well. Guide the arrow, but let it fly on its own."
Celebithil struggled to keep all the instructions in mind as she pulled back on the string again and loaded an arrow. 'Harp string, tree wood, guide arrow, loose hands . . .' She struggled to control the large longbow (which was almost taller than herself) while keeping her hands loose, and in result her grip slipped and the arrow fell.
"And now your grip is *too* loose," Haldir smiled, stating the obvious.
"It's hopeless," cried Celebithil in frustration as she threw the bow onto the ground. The smile was chased off Haldir's face as he suddenly became aware of the tension and frustration that had been building to a climax in the Silvermoon.
"Why are you giving up?" asked Haldir with concern. "This isn't like you."
Celebithil turned to face him with self-annoyance clearly written on her features. "Haldir, I will never be a skilled bowman. It is now clear to me that I know nothing. My so called 'Skills' were gained here and there throughout my childhood, whenever I could get them. But they were worthless basic minor lessons that quickly ended because of my father's prying eyes. He didn't even want us *touching* a weapon." She paused. "Come to think of it, I don't even think Arwen knows how to hold a standard bow."
Haldir smiled mysteriously. "You would be surprised at what your sister can do," he said softly.
Celebithil looked shocked. "You mean that even the 'Perfect Elf Princess' knows better than I?" She screamed in frustration and looked about ready to pull her hair out. "How am I to live up to her? How am I to prove myself?!"
Haldir stepped closer as she slowly calmed down and looked at her intently, staring into the depths of her crystalline orbs. "Even Luthien Tinuviel, fairest of all, had a warrior spirit," he murmured. "It was hidden and discouraged by her father, but it was as much a part of her as her renowned beauty and fair voice. How else could she have escaped the prisons and obstacles of friend and foe alike to save Beren, her love, from the depths of Evil's prisons? How else could they together have stolen a Simaril, one of the great elvish jewels, from the very core of Morgoroth's dark domain? You have inherrited this great spirit, Aikuu. You have the spirit of Luthien and the will of Idril Celebrimbor. Don't give up. Let it shine." [AN: Idril is another strong elvish woman and ancestor of Celebithil.]
Haldir reached down and picked up the longbow from the ground. He laid it flat upon the palms of his outstretched hands and offered it to Celebithil. She stared at him for a moment, completely speechless.
"I have faith in you," Haldir whispered. Celebithil held his gaze a moment longer, then clutched the bow firmly and brought it parallel to her side. "Teach me all you know," she said with conviction.
~*~*~*~
Hours later, Celebithil lay across her bed, just wanting to sleep. The lesson had been long and exhausting; neither knew how long it would be until Haldir was called to the borders again, so the lessons lasted almost the entire day to get in as much as possible.
Just before sunset, Haldir had finally called it a day and Celebithil had hurried to the palace to raid the kitchens. It had been a long tiresome afternoon, and now with a full stomach, she wanted only to sleep.
Of course, Hinenmel chose that moment to enter.
"Guess what I just heard!" she squealed, running in and plopping on the bed. Hinenmel was a master of gossip; often Celebithil would be her partner in the crime or share her enthusiasm at fresh news, but today she wished only for peace and quiet.
Hinenmel didn't wait for a response from Celebithil. "One of the Fellowship had been missing since last night," she said, happily bouncing on the bed as her golden hair followed, making wave patterns in the air. Celebithil groaned to herself. "It was the man," continued Hinenmel. "Not Estel, but the man from Gondor. No one seemed to remember his name."
"Boromir," groaned Celebithil.
Hinenmel snapped her fingers. "That was it! I knew it started with a 'B'! Anyways, this man-- Boromir as you call him-- was just found *an hour* ago wandering miles and miles from Caras Galadhon. Some Vakhar troops on their way home from the yrch battles discovered him. No one seems to know how he could have gotten so far away. He claimed he just enjoyed walking in the fair land, but wouldn't admit he was hopelessly lost." She giggled. "Amin n'rangwa edanea. These humans are so strange! But I hear this one was strong and quelien." [good-looking] She giggled again. "Hot, but apparently not so smart." ['I don't understand these humans.']
"He's a *human*," said Celebithil with exasperation. "You aren't telling me you have a crush on that mortal *too*?"
Hinenmel giggled and winked. Honestly, between Hinenmel and Taurenreil with their boy-craziness, Celebithil considered declaring herself eternally single. "Rumil is still number one on my list," said Hinenmel with starry eyes, "but this Boromir can't be forgotten."
Celebithil rolled over on her stomach to face her friend. "You're telling me that this Gondor man is on your 'list' when even Estel isn't?"
Hinenmel smiled dreamily as she hugged her knees. "Aragorn is... too good for words. Gorgeous to be sure. But I've had to move on. Since he last visited Lorien when Arwen was here, it's been obvious that the two were meant for each other. Even I can't come between a perfect match like that."
"And yet you consider a man whose entire lifespan you've lived nearly thirty times already."
Hinenmel shrugged. "It's been done before."
"Twice," responded Celebithil. "And both joinings were in the First Age. One ended in sorrow, one ended in unknown. Don't expect any happy endings along that road."
Hinenmel stuck out her tongue to rob Celebithil of the seriousness in her voice. "Fine then. But Rumil is still my number one, and don't even think you can steal him away too."
~*~*~*~*~
The future king of Gondor rummaged through the supplies from the past month, judging between what could be salvaged or was still good and what would need to be replaced in Lorien.
Boromir, returned from his disappearance the previous night by some amused elves, sat pensively on a tree root behind him. His face had a distant look, like one men often wear when dreaming of their homeland. Aragorn assumed he was reliving memories of his beloved Minas Tirith, months upon months since he had last been home.
So Aragorn was rather surprised when Boromir vocalized his thoughts but did not speak of Gondor at all.
"What does 'Engwa' mean?" he asked suddenly.
Aragorn took a moment to reply. "It translates to 'The Sickly'. It's a rather insulting elvish name for men."
Boromir nodded and seemed satisfied. Aragorn moved to return to his work. "And what of 'Firima'?" he asked abruptly again.
Aragorn sighed and gave up. He closed up the bag and turned to face him. "Have the Galadhrim been less then courteous to you?" he questioned.
"No indeed!" said Boromir quickly, rather surprised that Aragorn, almost an elf himself, would suggest such a thing. "Why?"
"'Firima' means 'Mortal'. Of Old, it was an honored name, calling to mind the Gift of Men. But since the fall of Numenor, the Gift of Men--our death-- has been looked on as our doom. A name such as 'Firima' is primarily used today to remind us of our place in the world, as opposed to the great immortals. It is not as insulting as 'Engwar', but it is not the nicest name for Men."
"Do they have any respected names for us?" asked Boromir rather doubtfully.
A dreamy look seemed to grace Aragorn's features. "Of old there were many. Hildor- the Followers, and Apanonar- the After-born. Atani, Edain, the younger children of Iluvatar, and many others." ['Atani' and 'Edain' mean 'the Second People'. Iluvatar is a name for Eru ('The One' = God).]
"And what do they name themselves?" asked Boromir curiously.
Aragorn smiled. "They have many names, each more beautiful than the next. But one of their most beloved is 'Eldar', the People of the Stars. They have a great love for the stars and the night sky."
Boromir followed his gaze to the millions of pinpricks in the great darkening fabric above. A pink hue gleamed softly in the West in remembrance of the Sun and the great things beyond that far horizon.
"Which is Earendil?" murmured Boromir, recalling the song from Elrond's house long ago. Slowly Aragorn raised his arm and pointed northward to his forefather, the most brilliant star twinkling in the night sky. [AN: I assume that Earendil, the Star of Hope, is also the North Star and the guiding star for sailors.]
"Earendil the Mariner," Boromir muttered, remembering part of the song. "Why 'the Mariner'? Is it common among the elves to name the Stars after the Sea?"
Aragorn shook his head. "They love the Sea as much, if not more than the Stars, but Earendil earned his name while he walked in Middle Earth. As he was, as his name translates, a great lover of the Sea." Boromir looked speculative so Aragorn continued to explain. "'Ear' means 'Sea'. 'En' is the preposition 'of the'. 'Dil' is a suffix meaning 'lover of'. Therefore, Earendil, the great mariner of both ocean waters and the waters of the dark world above, means 'Lover of the Sea'."
A look of comprehension dawned on Boromir's face. "But then what does my name mean? I'm told it was selected from the great figures of olden times, but I have never known its meaning."
Aragorn smiled. "'Boromir' translates to 'Jewelled Hand'-- 'boro'- hand, and 'mir'- jewel."
Boromir looked thoughtful again as he digested this new information about himself. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped suddenly. "How do you say 'Thank you'?" he asked.
Aragorn smiled at the interest this seemingly self-centered man was showing toward the wonderful elvish culture. "Hennaid," he replied.
"Hennaid, Aragorn," repeated Boromir.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, the hobbits munched on some tasty elvish vegetables, their first true supper (or second dinner as Pippin preferred to call it) since Rivendell.
Gimli stood on a mellyrn tree root with one hand holding the tip of his axe for support. "And would you believe it, young hobbits?" he said loud and proudly as they watched him with mild interest. "The *Elf* wishes for me to join him to tour the land when he returns!" He laughed to himself, a deep and hearty chortle. "Never thought I'd see the day. And yet," he said, pausing in his strut and squatting on the root. "I feel most honored. The Lady is fair and wonderful and it would be a great honor to see her fair land. I have even polished my axe for the occasion," he said proudly, hopping down and displaying the gleaming weapon. "I believe I shall teach these elves a thing or two about axe throwing," he laughed.
Pippin, who was listening with the most interest (which still wasn't very much considering the majority of his attention was focused on his food), spoke up with excitement. "You know about axe throwing, doncha Merry?" Merry made no response and continued to munch on his carrot. "Won a contest, he did once," Pippin informed Gimli proudly.
Gimli looked at the yellow-vested hobbit with new respect as Merry finally responded. "That was only because the other contestants couldn't pick up the axe, let alone throw it."
Merry didn't think his statement very funny, but apparently dwarf humor is different from hobbit humour. [AN: I felt they should have the English 'u'. :D ] Gimli spent the next few minutes slapping his knees and laughing heartily. The hobbits smiled politely, but looked at him quite blankly.
"We have a visitor," said Sam suddenly.
Frodo looked up to see a dark-cloaked figure lift her head as she entered the camp. She was short in the stature of the elves, but her hair seemed woven of sunlight and starbeams and her clear eyes betrayed youth but a knowledge of many years.
Frodo watched as the others noticed her silent presence and moved towards her. The others looked at her curiously and Boromir stared at her strangely, almost shockingly, but it was Aragorn who ran to the lady and embraced her.
"Seler!" he cried, and Frodo listened with interest. ["Sister!"]*
She smiled. "Estel."
"Nae saian luume, Ithil," he said softly as he released her from the embrace. ['It has been too long']
"Kinta kainenor yenie," she said sadly. "Cormamin lindua ele lle au'." ['Forty years. My heart sings to see you again.']
"What are they saying?" asked Pippin to Frodo's right, interrupting his thoughts as Aragorn led the woman to a more comfortable spot in the camp to sit and talk.
Frodo made no response to Pippin; he knew well enough what they said, and they did not make any effort to conceal their conversation from the rest of the Company. Then again, Frodo reminded himself, with Legolas visiting his elven cousins, he himself was the only other present who could understand the fair language. Was their conversation private? Had they trusted him not to reveal its meaning?
Frodo tried to close his ears and distract his mind so as not to eavesdrop, but their words were clear and often too obvious to ignore. Though he struggled against it, he had studied elvish for too many years for his brain to not subconsciously process each of the words.
The woman--once called Eldasil but more often called Celebithil (or Ithil for short) or 'Seler' [sister]-- pleaded with Aragorn "Estel" for tales from the outside world. Frodo knew Aragorn was summarizing and attempting to downplay the growing horrors of the world. The lady seemed to notice too and insisted she deserved to hear the full truth of world events. Aragorn told more, of the troubles in Rohan and Gondor and the growing danger for all free peoples, but he skimmed over the threat of Isengard and did not even speak of the Nameless Realm. Frodo was grateful for this, as he did not want such a dark name befouling such a fair land.
They drifted to happier and lighter-hearted conversation of days gone by and spoke for an immeasurable time, neither seeming to bore or tire.
So it seemed hours later, the sun long gone and the moon high, when the lady rose.
"I thank you, Estel," she said in the Common Tongue. "Already the sight of you rejuvenates me and brings me Hope. Hennaid, toror. I look forward to seeing you again soon." [Thank you, brother.] "But for now, take some rest and refresh yourselves," she said, speaking to them all. "Let the magic of Laurelindorinan fill your hearts. Be at peace. Vanya sulie." ['Laurelindorinan' means 'Land of the Valley of the Singing Gold'; it is the old name of Lorien. And 'Vanya sulie' is a farewell that means 'Fair winds'].
"Quel kaima," Aragorn wished her as she left the camp. "Tenna' telwan!" ['Sleep well. Until later!']
"Who is she?" asked Boromir as he approached Aragorn's side after she was gone.
Aragorn's eyes seemed to gleam but remained fixated on the spot she stood a moment before. "She is the Silvermoon of the House of Earendil. Descendent of Luthien, star of Lorien, apple of Celebrian's eye. She is the sister of the Undomiel and the daughter of the Peredhel, Elrond Half-elven." He turned to face Boromir, and the man caught a glimpse in his eyes of the great sorrow concealed within. "She is called Eldasil Celebithil, and she may be as cold and as distant as the Moon itself."
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*If you didn't know, Aragorn was adopted by Elrond when his mother fled to Rivendell for refuge. So Celebithil is his adopted sister, whom he knew before he knew Arwen and always thought of as a sister and a friend.
And FYI, though the pairing is fluid, this will NOT be an Aragorn/Usa fic. I strongly support A/A! When Aragorn talks about Celebithil in the last part of the chapter, his eyes are "gleaming" sadly because he is reminded of Arwen and how out of reach she seems with her great lineage.
And here are the Review Replies! Thank you everyone!
Lilaclight- Wow!! Thank you so much! Sorry I didn't update sooner! Hope you continue to enjoy it.
Rachel Evens- ::pouts:: You think it would be funny if Celebithil and Boromir got together. ::sticks out tongue:: Fine then. Maybe they will. ;D
Caretica- Your brain is *not* the size of a bird's! The answer is actually Haldir and Boromir and... others... It's not the standard one pairing cliche. There will be alot of pain and suffering to come because of this. Sad, but there will be hope in the end.
Usagi Asia Maxwell- Lol! Elvish isn't that bad. It actually comes easier as you right with it. Try it! Start off with a dictionary or something nearby and soon it will come quickly. Though I have no experience in writing runes or tengwar... that would be really fun.
alexz- Sorry about the delay. Here you go!
Tomoyo Sakura- Lol!!! Thank you!
Senshi's Tenshi- ::glares:: Do you practice Telepathy? Because you have successfully read my mind on everything in your review. The Haldir/Usa thing *is* modeled after the Motoki idea (but its a little more than that). And there is a curse... or there seems to be. And Celebithil visits Estel... in this chapter. Wow! How do you do it? Hopefully you can't guess the ending or some of the major plot twists coming up, or that would really spoil it! ::pouts::
btw, Hinenmel (Mina) means 'Child of Love', just like her name in Japanese. Sorry I forgot about that! It should be fixed by now. Hennaid!
Serenity- ::grins:: Everyone is really interesting in the pairing, huh? Guess that's cause I made this a romance. Well, I've said it many times and it's even more true now: It is complicated. It's almost a love triangle that morphs into a continuous cycle of pain. You can probably guess from previous chapters the current main focuses, but it will change. This may open a possible Legolas pairing, and it might not. There are just so many of them out there right now that if it does evolve into that, it will not be for awhile. Sorry if this disappoints you, but I promise you will see plenty of our favorite elf-boy!
Silver Dragonfly- Yeah, I know it is confusing. I made those names so long ago that I keep forgetting no one else thinks of that as just another name for each of the senshi. ^_^' Using their SM civilian names wouldn't hurt, or even their senshi planets, but I'm trying to keep this as purely elvish/Tolkien/whatever as possible. I'll continue to describe everyone *a lot*, physically and personality especially, and I might give hints about the planets, but I won't be using their SM names, English or Japanese. Sorry! Good idea though!
Domo arigato and diola lle everyone! Keep reviewing and I will keep writing. Otherwise I fear this might be pushed aside when I actually update so I can keep the DBZ/SM people happen. I have been very bad to them. ^_^' Gomen nasi! Memories should be up sometime soon and I'm throwing around ideas for Always & Forever. Thank you! Namarie, mellonae!
~Calli-chan
P.S. For a good laugh, check out www.lordofthepeeps.com ;D