**Notes and Secrets**
The next morning, Ẻomer and the riders of Rohan were assembled and ready to ride. The people of Minas Tirith were assembled in the streets to give them a grand send off. The sons of Elrond were also there, and Izabel stood by and watched as her betrothed mounted up to ride. Elrohir walked over to her and hugged her.
"I will deliver him back to you," Elrohir said. "He will be insufferable without you, lady."
"I'll be fine," Elladan protested, but his eyes said otherwise. He looked at Izabel and gave her a loving smile.
Izabel smiled to both of them, "I look forward to your return," she said and then looked at Elladan. "Greet your father for me."
Elrohir gave her a bow and then mounted up. He turned to his brother and whispered, "You told her?"
"Yes," Elladan said.
"And?"
"I had to beg her not to refuse me," he said.
Elrohir looked at Izabel again, and could see the concern mixed with the love in her eyes. He sighed, "I knew I liked her."
Aragorn descended the steps to where the riders gathered. With him were Imrahil and his daughter. Ẻomer walked over to bid them farewell.
"There is much to set to right in my realm, but I will return when all is prepared for the Fallen to return home," he said.
"You are not merely my neighbor or friend, you are my brother, and are forever welcome in this land," Aragorn said. The two kings embraced, and Ẻomer looked up the steps toward the courtyard where Ẻowyn and Faramir were.
Imrahil walked toward Ẻomer, and hugged him also. "I and my daughter look forward to your return," he said.
Ẻomer looked at Lothiriel and smiled. Her father seemed most pleased when he spoke to him last night, and the matter of courting her was acceptable. She blushed and smiled shyly.
"My lady," Ẻomer said and then bowed. "I will return soon."
He headed down the steps to wait for his sister, who also had someone to say goodbye to.
"I must leave to help my brother," she said. "But we'll return soon to bring my uncle back to Edoras."
"I also have duties here," Faramir said. "I will miss you."
"And I will miss you," she said. Faramir kissed her, and then walked her down the steps to her waiting horse.
Ẻomer eyed him with annoyance for the public display, but finally smiled. "I'll bring her back," he said.
Miranda and Haldir finally made an appearance and headed down the steps to see them off. Miranda walked over to Ẻomer who quickly dismounted and gave her a hug. He whispered in her ear, "Are you happy, cousin?"
Miranda smiled and glanced back at Haldir. "Oh yes. So, you like the prince's daughter?"
Ẻomer released her and eyed her suspiciously, "I will have to get used to having a seer in the family."
They laughed, and Miranda hugged Ẻowyn and the riders rode out of the city. The streets were lined with people who cheered as they went. The king, his sister, the sons of Elrond and the knights and riders of Rohan departed, taking the northern road home.
*****
And so the glad days passed, and the companions of the ring remained in Minas Tirith, coming and going at will, and keeping company with the king. Miranda and Haldir remained in the tower, partly because of the privacy, but also because Miranda knew Aragorn was lonely. He had seen his labors come to an end, but his long awaited reward was not here.
"How long do you wish to stay here?" Haldir asked her one morning.
Miranda snuggled closer to him and he put his arms around her. "Until after the wedding," she said. "Then we will go with Théoden to Edoras. After that we will return to Lorien."
"You are sure that is what you want?" he asked as he combed his fingers through her wild morning hair.
"Yes, it is, and I think it is about time I learned to speak your language," she said seriously. "And read and write it."
"That is a most ambitious idea," he said. "I would be proud to teach you, but it is not necessary."
"I chose my home," she said. "I will learn the language."
Haldir was pleased by her choices. He promised to follow her anywhere, but he would have missed his Golden Wood if she had chosen somewhere else. That she cared enough to learn his tongue touched him. Not many humans had such a respect for his kind. They were afraid of elves, but they rarely respected them. Miranda was amazing.
In the days that followed, Haldir taught her a number of basic words, and spoke to her only in elvish. Whenever they went to meals, Aragorn, Legolas and Gandalf would only speak to her in elvish. Izabel quickly joined in on this opportunity and so Haldir had two students. Izabel was a quick study, already understanding some of the words from being raised in Middle earth.
Miranda, however, felt ignorant, and sometimes got frustrated, but she kept trying. She'd hated taking Latin and French in school. Language was just a boring class, but now, she really wanted to learn it, and it was difficult. After a couple of weeks of Haldir's Language immersion, she was starting to communicate with a limited Sindarin vocabulary, but her patience demanded a break.
She woke early and could not face another Sindarin word. She quietly rose and dressed in her riding clothes, and scrawled a quick note to Haldir.
Haldir,
One more day of Sindarin and I shall go insane. I am taking today off from all speech! I'm taking Tempest out for a good ride in the hills and will return after lunch. I love you.
Miranda
Miranda slipped out the door and down the tower stairs without running into anyone. With a quick stop in the kitchen to grab some bread and cheese, she headed to the stables. The stable master looked at her curiously, but quickly saddled her horse for her. Miranda rode down to the gate that was nearly complete and spoke to the guard.
"I'm going for a ride in the hills," she said. "I'll return after lunch."
"No escort, my lady?" he asked.
"I will be fine," she said. "I can take care of myself, and I won't be going far."
The gate guard didn't like it, but he knew who she was. The Seer from the hill could no doubt look after herself. "Very well," he said. "If you have leave to go, I will not stop you."
Miranda cringed when she realized, she didn't really have permission to leave. She just smiled at the guard as she passed through the gate and headed toward the hills. She gave Tempest a gentle kick and galloped across the Pelennor like a bat out of hell. She laughed at the freedom she felt with the wind blowing through her hair and the rhythm of Tempest's hoof beats on the ground. It had been a while since she had been outside the palace, and she noticed all the repairs to the walls and gate. Aragorn was a good king, and people worked hard for him out of respect and pride. Miranda shared that respect, and she wished there was something she could do to lighten his mood until Arwen arrived. He wasn't really depressed, just a little down, and she hated to see him like that.
*****
Haldir woke to an empty bed. He sat up and looked around. "Miranda?"
Silence.
Haldir frowned at himself for not waking earlier. She'd been gone for a while and he should have heard her. He sighed and realized he was tired from teaching all day. Between his wife and Izabel, he'd been very busy trying to teach them Sindarin. Legolas was helping some, and Gandalf and Aragorn found it quite amusing. Haldir had known for days that Miranda needed a break, but he'd wanted her to get comfortable with the language before calling a day off. He dressed quickly, and then found her note on the table. He opened it and frowned. It was obviously writing, and her script was even attractive, but it was utter gibberish to him.
He pocketed the note, and headed down to breakfast. He would probably find her there, and he could ask her what the note said then. When he entered the hall, Izabel greeted him and then looked at him in confusion.
"Where's Randi?" she asked.
Haldir frowned at the use of that offensive nickname, "MIRANDA rose early," he said. "I thought she would be here."
Aragorn was sitting with the members of the fellowship nearby and he looked up, "What's this about Miranda?"
"She was gone when I woke," Haldir said. "I thought perhaps a dream…she sometimes likes to go for a walk. Have any of you seen her?"
Gimli raised a brow, it was unusual for her to just run off without so much as a 'by your leave' from her husband. "She didn't say anything to you?" Gimli asked.
"She left a note," he said with a frown, "But her writing is…strange."
"Let me see it," Gandalf said.
Haldir gave him the note and Gandalf frowned as well. "I really chose poorly when I hid her there," he said in annoyance. "This writing is useless here! She has to learn everything over again."
"Let me see," Aragorn said.
Gandalf handed him the note, and Aragorn understood why she couldn't read Ẻowyn's letter. He looked at it closely and smiled, "This must be your name, Haldir." Aragorn held up the letter and pointed to the address line.
Haldir took it and looked at it. Miranda must have needed a break worse than he thought. He looked at Izabel, "Has she said anything to you?"
"She needed a break from study," Izabel admitted. "She mentioned going for a ride."
Haldir pocketed the note and hung his head. Of course, where else would she go? Aragorn sat up and looked at Haldir seriously. "She wouldn't just ride out alone, would she?"
Legolas just looked at Aragorn with a smirk and said dryly, "Why no, of course not, she'd never do that. It's not like she's done it before…"
Gimli chuckled, but Aragorn just stood, "I'll meet you at the stables in ten minutes," he said to Haldir. Miranda didn't understand the danger of riding alone. It wasn't always because of enemies that he required the escort. Riding in the hills was dangerous even for an expert rider.
"And you said it was getting boring here," Pippin said to Merry.
"I said nothing of the sort," Merry protested.
Sam and Frodo just exchanged looks and laughed.
Haldir looked at Gandalf, and Gandalf rose to walk with him to the stables. "Miranda just needed a little fresh air," Gandalf said. "That is all."
"I would have taken her riding," Haldir said. "She didn't have to sneak out."
Gandalf laughed. "Miranda didn't sneak out, or she wouldn't have left the note. She just wanted some time with her thoughts. I have been watching these past weeks, and she is struggling."
"What do you mean?" Haldir asked, now very concerned.
"She is beginning to understand her gift, and it is hard to control," Gandalf said. "She sees many things, and it is tiring for her."
"She should have told me," Haldir said. "We promised each other that we would keep no secrets."
Gandalf sighed, "I'm going to tell you something now, and I want you to keep this a secret."
Haldir eyed him suspiciously, "From Miranda?"
"For now," Gandalf said.
Haldir stopped and looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.
"Miranda is not like other humans," Gandalf said. "Israfel was very old, as old as I," he said.
"Then Miranda is…" Haldir's eyes doubled in size. "She is…"
"Immortal, like an elf," Gandalf said lightly. "She can be killed, but she will not die or grow old."
"Why does she not know this?" Haldir asked.
"She's not ready to know this," Gandalf said.
Aragorn walked over to them, "Ready?"
"He is ready," Gandalf answered for him. "Remember to keep this secret for now," he added quietly to Haldir.
"Until when?" Haldir asked.
"You will know," Gandalf said, and then he turned and headed back to the palace.
"What secret?" Aragorn asked as they entered the stable.
"What do you know about the Hiri Nolwe legend?"
Aragorn furrowed his brow and then he said, "She is a counselor of many kings with wisdom beyond that of mortals, and she will be the guiding light in the fourth age."
"Beyond mortals," Haldir said thoughtfully. "That is my secret, she is immortal, and does not know it."
Aragorn laughed, "I had wondered about that. Come, let's find her."
The two saddled up and spoke to the stable master. He confirmed that Miranda had left just before dawn. The gate keeper also remembered seeing her head into the hills. He begged forgiveness for allowing her to leave, but was quickly pardoned. Both men knew that Miranda could be persuasive when she wanted something. As they rode the way Miranda had gone, Haldir just hoped she was fine. She was immortal, not indestructible.
*****
Miranda had found a quiet place to sit and think while Tempest drank from pool. She leaned against a rock and closed her eyes, and a flood of visions washed over her like a tidal wave. Images came so quickly it was physically painful to try and decipher them. Her hands flew to her head and she doubled over in pain.
"Stop, stop, stop! Too much, stop!" she repeated like a mantra. Then she saw a flash of something recognizable, and focused on it. Everything else faded and she looked closely at a tree. It was a white tree, though just a small one, like a sapling fruit tree. It was a duplicate of the one in the courtyard that had long since died. Miranda looked around it, where was it? She focused harder, and realized it was very close. This was it, the thing that would brighten Aragorn's spirits, a new tree for his courtyard.
She sat up and whistled at Tempest who was grazing by the pool. He immediately perked up and headed toward her.
"We are going on a little adventure," she said as she stroked his muzzle. "And I have no idea where we are going."
She mounted up and closed her eyes. It was a desolate place, and high in the hills. Miranda opened her eyes and looked to the mountain that towered over Minas Tirith. That was her destination, and she doubted she'd be back before dark.