AN: *Finally* here is the next chapter. Whew! Gomen nasi minna-chan for the big delay. And if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out the new prologue! Hennaid! And here's a refresher on elvish words and the names. Gomen again for the delay!
Eldasil Celebithil- 'Silver light of the Stars' 'Silvermoon' (Usagi/Moon)
Nenloth- 'Water flower' (Ami/Mercury)
Hinienmel- 'Child of Love' (Minako/Venus)
Naurfea- 'Fiery Spirit' (Rei/Mars)
Taurenreil- 'Garlanded maiden of the forest' (Makoto/Jupiter)
Kemenuial- 'Twilight of the Earth' (Hotaru/Saturn)
Menelsul- 'Heavenly Wind' (Haruka/Uranus)
Mirengaer- 'Jewel of the Sea' (Michiru/Neptune)
Ertirhiril- 'Lonely (female) guardian' (Setsuna/Pluto)
This is a pre-Silver Millennium life for all but Pluto, who is the same timeless woman that still watches the Time Gates (the people of Middle Earth think of her as a wizard, though).
Calli-chan's Frequently Used Elvish Dictionary
Ume - yes
N'ume - no
Namarie - 'Farewell'
Suliad - friendly greeting (i.e. 'Hi!')
Amin hiraetha - I'm sorry
Diola lle - Thank you (according to the Grey Company)
Hennaid - Thank you (according to the movie)
Mani? - What?
Ai - little or small (so Aicath is 'little cat' and Aikuu is 'little crescent moon')
Tarien - Princess
Periannath - elvish name for Hobbits
Istari - wizards
Imladris - Rivendell
Mithrandir - Gandalf ('Grey Pilgrim')
Vakhar - the elite group of guards on the borders of Lorien. (singular: Vakha)
mellyrn - 'mallorn'; these are the golden trees of Lorien
talan - 'flet'; basically tree-houses
lembas - 'waybread'; the nourishing bread of the elves for long journeys
Hope this helps! Enjoy the fic!
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Celebithil and Naurfea were engrossed in another of their loud meaningless quarrels (the cause for which was quickly forgotten), while Nenloth and Kemenuial looked on in exasperation. It was then that Hinienmel and Taurenreil interrupted.
The boy-crazy blond and brunette were squealing and laughing like crazy when they ran into the midst of the argument. The quarrel, which had mounted to a glaring contest, quickly ended at the entrance of the two excited girls (which broke the eye contact of both Celebithil and Naurfea).
Both were breathless and flushed from running. "Guess what!" cried Hinienmel, her voice rising an octave and erupting into a fresh squeal.
"Rumil and Orophin have returned from the borders?" tried Celebithil, guessing what would make the two so excited. [AN: Remember, Rumil and Orophin are Haldir's brothers, whom Hinienmel and Taurenreil are crazy about.]
"Almost," said Hinienmel, "but no, they're still gone. But this is even better!"
The onlookers looked at her blankly, not sure what else could make the she-elf so excited.
"Free lembas?" tried Kemenuial.
Taurenreil didn't wait for another reply. "We just met the most gorgeously- beautiful- quelien- perfect- flawless- vanima- amazingly hot- breathtaking- tantalizing specimen of archer-boy," she said all in one breath. The onlookers sweatdropped. ['quelien' means good-looking and 'vanima' means beautiful]
"They say he's a great belegohtar from the North," added Hinienmel. ['mighty warrior']
"You met him?" asked Nenloth incredulously, not daring to believe that such a perfect specimen might exist and thinking it just another of Hinienmel and Taurenreil's scams.
"Well, not quite," said Taurenreil with a wave of her hand. "We passed him walking through Caras Galadhon with a dwarf--he definitely noticed us. But he didn't stop, so we did our research and asked around. Turns out, he's called Legolas and he's part of the Fellowship. He's been talking with the elves all over the city and land, telling about life in the North and learning our customs. Some say he's also been seen around with a dark haired elf." She paused and self-righteously raised her head at her gossip skills. "So you see, we might as well have truly met him."
Hinienmel was staring at Naurfea strangely. A faint blushed had crept onto Naurfea's cheeks at the mention of the elf's name, and it had been steadily darkening as Taurenreil finished. In contrast with her raven hair, her face seemed to be flaming.
Hinienmel put two and two together. "You know him," she said softly.
"That's it!" she said louder. "You met him and you like him!"
Naurfea's face grew redder than a tomato, redder than the element she seemed to control. [i.e. fire] By this point, Celebithil was beginning to share Taurenreil and Hinienmel's enthusiasm. The three grinned at Naurfea evilly and slowly advanced. Naurfea glanced around for an escape route and found none. "I... I..."
The three launched at her. "Tell us!" they cried. Naurfea gulped and surrendered. Her face continued to flame as she explained. "I... he was lost. I had just finished bartering and was returning to grandfather's talan. He... Legolas... was standing under the base of the tree looking perplexed and confused. I asked him if he needed any help, and he introduced himself as Legolas Greenleaf of the Fellowship. He said he needed help finding his way back to the camp after wandering through the city. Naturally, I agreed to lead him back and I became his guide. I... I've kind of been seeing him ever since."
Everyone fell over at the suddenness of Naurfea's last statement.
"It's nothing serious yet!" cried Naurfea desperately. "Just visiting and--"
"What *happened* on that walk!?" demanded Hinienmel in shock at not being on top of her friend's love life.
Naurfea blushed red again. "Nothing! We just started talking-- probably about Lorien or Mirkwood-- and the conversation kept flowing easily though we had just met. Something just clicked between us. I think that by the time we arrived at the camp, we were discussing the pesky squirrels of woodlands." She smirked slightly. "And by the way, Taurenreil, he's also the son of Thranduil and *Prince* of Mirkwood."
Taurenreil looked ready to faint.
"But what about Linde, the minstrel who was trying to court you?" cried Hinienmel.
Naurfea, less read and with more confidence, waved the thought aside. "He is too desperate. I mean, there are other ways to catch my attention than by singing to me all the time. And Legolas has caught my attention. I'm not going to let him go so easily," she said with a smirk. [AN: Think of Linde as a Chad-like character. Probably won't be mentioned much though.]
The girls sweatdropped.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A slim arrow, held lightly by slender fingers to a willowy longbow, deftly left its origin to soar through the afternoon sky. Gracefully, it traced a long arc through the woodland air before descending to clang lightly against an upturned metal pail.
Haldir smiled encouragingly as Celebithil selected yet another arrow to send to the distant target, the upside-down pail on a branch at the other end of the clearing. Haldir was shocked at how rapidly his pupil had improved. During the first lesson, she had truly embraced the art with her heart and soul. From being not able to hold a longbow a few days ago, she now seemed almost a potential rival of Haldir himself, especially when she applied some new techniques to the standard Imladris bow that she was more familiar with.
Haldir smiled to himself. It would take more time for her to digest all her new skills, but, even with the great marksmen of Lorien, she would be able to hold her own. It seemed a hereditary gift that the Peredhel were great masters of archery, and the daughters were no exception.
She was chatting aimlessly as she let another arrow fly. "So, Cuthalion," she joked, "have you met Legolas of the Fellowship?" ['Cuthalion' means 'Strong bow' (the original Cuthalion was very skilled with a bow and arrow), so she's teasing him.]
Haldir raised an eyebrow at her choice of topic. "We've been aquainted, yes. You forget that for two days I led them to Caras Galadhon. The son of Thranduil is very amiable and well mannered, and I had many wonderful conversations with him about our cousins in the North. But why do you ask?" he questioned rather suspiciously.
Celebithil giggled and quickly filled him in on Naurfea's secret.
Haldir, having known Celebithil's friend almost as long as Celebithil herself, looked equally surprised. "Naurfea? Are you sure you don't mean Hinenmel or Taurenreil, who seem to chase men for a living?"
Celebithil shook her head. "She wasn't inclined to tell us at first, but you know very well how Hinenmel can extract a person's deepest secrets." (Haldir reddened in remembrance. When they were children, he had had a huge secret crush on Mirengaer. Somehow, Hinenmel had figured it out and publicized it, to his utter embarrassment.)
Celebithil laughed at Haldir's expression in remembrance of the occurrence as she let loose another arrow. "Ume, it seems this Legolas will not be able to go anywhere privately now that Hinenmel is on his heels." She glanced sideways and smiled pleadingly. "Would you kindly move the pail at least a hundred meters more distant? My eyes are getting trained on one spot and it's not offering much challenge."
He was about the protest when Celebithil put on her most hopeful and pleading face, complete with big watering crystalline eyes. Under such pressure, Haldir melted.
He grumpily jogged across the long grassy field as Celebithil cheered behind him. "Hennaid, good sir!" she called. Haldir just grumbled in reply.
Haldir reached the bucket and was just about to move it when an arrow zipped by above his head. He yelped and spun around in time to see another zip into the woods to his right and another after that. A constant line of arrows shot through the woods in an arc as Celebithil continued to aggressively shoot at something in motion.
Haldir was alarmed by her sudden mood change. Even from a distance, he could see her sharply slanted eyebrows and aggressive expression. Like her father, they became sharply angled when she was angry.
And she was surely angry. Haldir had no idea what caused the sudden change, but she painted a frightening picture-- her deadly expression, hair falling free from her braid and flying wildly about her face, and the dangerous weapon she wielded at her side that she controlled with deadly skill. She yelled wildly at some unseen opponent as she continued to madly shoot at it.
"Aikuu!?" called Haldir, cupping his hands to his mouth. He had hoped the endearment would calm her down.
She did not calm down, but she did slow down the rapidity of her shooting enough to glance at him, her expression still angry.
"It's... It's that idiot Lindor bird!" she exclaimed. "The one that sat outside my window and sang that annoying song through the pre-dawn hours of the morning, allowing me no sleep". She let loose another arrow.
"Ithil!" cried Haldir in shock. Never before had he seen her so worked up about a bird, even one that did rob her of sleep. "We do not kill animals in Lorien!" he cried desperately, hoping to remind her of the rational law. "Not the creatures of the wood!"
Celebithil seemed to pout. "I wasn't going to kill it. Just wound it slightly so that it would leave me alone."
Haldir was about to protest when Celebithil's head spun around and her eyes gleamed. "I see you now, creature!" she cried, aiming her bow and sprinting after the thing she spotted. "You will torment me no more!" Shooting arrows as she ran, she pursued the creature and left Haldir hopelessly alone with the bucket.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Before her was not a bird but a man, who had indeed been searching for the Silvermoon but had not expected to cause such a frenzied anger in her.
He increased the length and speed of his stride but did not run, fearing to attract attention to himself. He half-pretended not to notice the small elf madly pursuing him, yet he glanced back every so often to note her distance and increase his pace.
A meter from his back, she stopped suddenly and drew the string of the bow to its full potential. "Daro!" [Halt!] she cried authoritatively. "Stop Human, or die!"
The man of Gondor stopped quickly and stood tall, but did not turn.
Celebithil aimed the arrow between his broad shoulders as she crept forward. She circled from behind and moved in front of him, where she extended the arrow so that the tip touched the man's unprotected well-toned neck. The man gulped. None of the other elves had treated him with this hostility.
"Speak, Engwa," [Remember? 'Sickly', a name for Men] said Celebithil angrily. "Why have you been following and stalking me?"
The man opened his mouth in surprise, and Celebithil's eyes gleamed with victory. "Do you think I did not know?" she continued. "I, whose friend is the best gossip of Lorien! I have heard of your asking where to find me. I have seen you wandering below the base of the tree-palace, wondering if I might be in the halls above. Why, mortal?!" she cried, pressing the arrow tip into his neck.
"I..." said Boromir haltingly as he felt the cool metal against his bare skin. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."
In shock, Celebithil relaxed her taunt bow and unconsciously lowered the arrow. "... W- What?!" she said incredulously after a moment.
Boromir took advantage of the moment of freedom and hastily pulled out a slip of parchment with scribbled writing on it. "Amin hiraethasaihiril Celebithil tenilyaiawra argorga amintyarelle," he read quickly.
Celebithil stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, "WHAT?!"
Boromir gulped and repeated himself, speaking more slowly and desperately trying to pronounce the strange words. "Amin hiraetha sai, hiril Celebithil, ten'ilya i awra ar'gorga amin tyare lle."
Celebithil stared at him wide-eyed again, and then suddenly burst out laughing. Boromir looked helplessly from the parchment to the hysterically laughing girl before him.
"What did I say?" said Boromir helplessly, wondering how an apology could send a girl into hysterics.
Celebithil composed herself and managed to look at him with a straight face, though the corners of her mouth kept twitching upward.
"Basically, 'Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries'.** " Boromir looked horrified and his eyes widened in shock. "Well, not quite," admitted Celebithil. "But your accent makes it sound like you're speaking of roosters and tin roofs. Who taught you to say *that*?"
[AN: FYI, he's trying to say 'I am very sorry, Lady Silvermoon, for all the pain and fear I have caused you.' He had basically the right words the second time around, he just can't pronounce them. It's like trying to read French when the only language you have ever heard of know is English; some of the words just don't sound the way you would expect.]
Boromir looked helpless. "I mentioned it to Legolas and he recited it to me. Then I asked him to write it down, so he translated the elvish runes to the letters of the Common tongue and scribbled it down for me, before running off somewhere."
"Legolas?" questioned Celebithil. "Of the Mirkwood elves?" Boromir nodded. "Well, that would explain it then."
Judging from his expression, Boromir didn't understand, and Celebithil tried to explain. "They are our cousins, the Mirkwood elves," she said. "Ages ago, the people of Lorien and Greenwood all dwelt in the same forest that covered the entire world. But Ages have past, and that forest is now smaller and separate, each part having developed very differently from the next. Ages ago, we spoke the same sylvan tongue, but after ages of separation, the dialect of Mirkwood is foreign to the people of Lorien. 'Orc' in their dialect probably means 'sunshine' in ours."
"The world was covered by forest?" said Boromir incredulously.
"So I'm told," said Celebithil dreamily. "Ages ago, before orcs, men, and dwarves cleared the land, they say you could walk from the base of the Misty Mountains all the way to the Mountains of Lune in the distant north, always under the shadow of trees. There was the home of the great Onodrim, the Shepherds of Trees." [Ents] Celebithil's eyes shined. "How I would love to meet one of the great Onodrim. But the world has changed much since the First Age. Land has been buried, forests destroyed, and even whole islands submerged. The Onodrim and the wonderful adventures of old are mere tales and legends to us now. Only Lady Galadriel truly remembers."
"The Lady?" said Boromir with surprise. "Is she--?"
"She was one of the first to enter the world, all those countless years and ages ago. She has walked in both Arda and Valinor and now remains the last of the true Calaquendi left in Middle Earth." [AN: Apparently, Celebithil forgot about old Cirdan at the Havens. ^_^' And Arda is just another name for Middle Earth.]
"Valinor? Calaquendi?" echoed Boromir. "What are these strange names you speak of?"
Celebithil looked utterly shocked. "Do you know *nothing* of elvish culture?"
Boromir held out his arms helplessly. "That would be my brother Faramir. He was always eager to sit and listen to the old songs and tales. As for me, I was always impatient as a lad, wanting to do something rather than listen to tales of dead heroes." Boromir looked thoughtful. "But more than anything, this strange quest has taught me that the tales never end. The chapter may close, the scene may change, and new characters may enter while others leave, but the same story from the days of old lives on in us today." He sank down onto an old mallorn stump and sighed regretfully. "How I wish I had listened better as a lad."
She smiled sadly towards him. Then suddenly a light came into her eyes and she sprang lightly towards the stump. "Then I shall teach you!" she exclaimed.
He was shocked, not daring to believe what he heard. "But I... but I almost took your life. Madness or not, such a matter is not easily tossed aside. Would you really do this for a man who was almost your murderer?"
Celebithil sunk down onto the stump beside him, her eyes shining with compassion. "Yet I still walk in the realm of Arda. And your heart is in the right place, son of Gondor. I tried to turn a bind eye, but I see it clearly now. Despite what you yourself may think, you are a good man, Boromir son of Denethor. You regret what was done. But there are foul things in the world, foul things that can possess a man and make him do strange things. You were mourning, Boromir, mourning for one whom you love, grief-striken and vulnerable. As was I. I still breathe freely in the lands of the living, so let the things of the past be of the past and let us move on towards a brighter future."
Boromir was still surprised that she could have a change of heart so quickly. "So then... so then you wouldn't have let loose the arrow upon me as you threatened?" he questioned doubtfully.
She laughed. "N'ume. No blood shall be spilt in Caras Galadhon. But how else could I have gotten you to stop and caught up with you? I was angry because you had followed me, not because of the madness of a few nights ago."
Boromir breathed a sigh of relief. "I really am sorry, you know," he said after a moment.
Celebithil smiled. "I know."
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**from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
AN: Thank you everyone again for your patience and dedication.
Silver-Star- Eep! Gomen nasi for keeping you waiting so long!
Senshi's Tenshi- Happy Birthday!!! Lol, rambling is fun! ::glomps Motoki:: Yeah, he's one of the greatest characters, and he practically helps them out without knowing. So sweet! And I got out of reading Lord of the Flies for school, but ive been considering reading it just for fun.
alexz- Aww! Domo arigato!
Loopy Lu- Lol!! Yep, I've always pictured Agent Smelrond as needing some anger management under that calm exterior. :D
CJ-Chan- lol! yeah, the names are confusing at first, but I'll try to help you out and leave obvious hints. Hair coloring and personality are the best things to look for till you get the names straight. ;)
Lady-Tomoyo- Thank you so much! Gomen nasi for keeping you waiting so long!
Silver Dragonfly- Lol, yes he did! ::wink:: And the senshi, especially Usa, will be playing a big role but not the traditional join-the-fellowship role. Hopefully I'll be able to move this along fast and you shall see soon...
Branwen-of-Emrys- lol! Yeah, that site is great. As for the pairing... unlike most fics, there is no one answer for that. It's like a big oddly shaped triangle (with several more vertices ^_^'). I suppose you could call it a Boromir/Usa/Haldir/Usa/etc... There will be moments of both. ;)
Jensei no Megami- Yeah, I love all the names of the elves (I just love elvish in general). But "eldar" seems to be used most often and it led to the stars.
Tomoyo Sakura- Yep, those peeps were great for an early Easter gift. :D
Diola lle for reading. Hope you liked this chapter. And remember to check the new prologue if you haven't already. ::wink:: I'm hoping to move along the action of these chapters quicker now, so we can get to the big events outside Lorien soon. Thank you for you continued dedication and patience, and please leave a review. Domo arigato! Ja!
~Calli-chan