A great big hug and thank you to my beta, Kris, for believing in my story and for easing my doubts! I will address my reviewers at the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE CITY OF THE TREES
"It is…enchanting!" Ellie exclaimed.
Caras Galadhon--the City of the Trees--lay bright and sparkling before them in the twilight, and it was a sight such as the girl could never have imagined in her most fanciful dreams. Surrounded by the vast meadow, the city was set like a golden jewel on a tall, emerald hill. Upon it stood the grandest mallorns in all of Lorien--living, breathing towers that reached skyward, growing so close together that their copious branches intertwined. Even close up, Ellie knew that it would be impossible to tell where one tree ended and the other began. With the fast approaching night, lights suddenly appeared in the city, right before the Fellowship's eyes. The tiny lamps twinkled gold and silver and green amid the dancing leaves and the swaying branches, so that the entire hill seemed to be alight with stars. Thousands upon thousands of glittering stars.
"Welcome to your new home, my daughter," Haldir said, smiling indulgently at Ellie's awe-struck face, and winking at Legolas, who stood next to her with Jamie asleep in his arms.
Home…She had yearned for it for many long months, and now she was finally here. Ellie could scarcely believe it. "Home…" She savored the word, letting it roll off her tongue like a prayer, her soul all but rising out of her as she stared at the dreamlike beauty of Caras Galadhon. She and Jamie had reached their journey's end.
Ellie lifted her hand and stroked the boy's cheek with great tenderness. "We're home, Jamie," she said, and he immediately awoke. As the boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Legolas gently set him on the ground between them.
Jamie's eyes bugged out when he first saw the City of the Trees. "Holy Iluvatar! You mean we're going to live there?" he asked excitedly, instantly forgetting that he was tired. He bounced from Ellie to Legolas to Haldir and back to Ellie again with such boyish enthusiasm that the girl and the Elves laughed out loud.
"Yes, indeed, Jamie, and look!" Ellie replied with a wide sweep of her hand to indicate the brightly-lit hill, "The very stars have bowed down to greet us!"
A short while later, they entered Caras Galadhon through an ancient gate strung with silver lanterns at the foot of the hill. The gate was tall and strong and hung on a green wall that encircled the city and blended so perfectly with the hill that the Fellowship was unaware of its existence until they were almost upon it. Once inside the city, they heard melodious voices all around them, and above them, but saw no one.
"Where are they?" Ellie asked her father. "Why can we not see them?"
"You can, if you look carefully," Haldir replied, looking down at her with an amused smile. "Do not forget, Ellie: we are the Galadhrim, the Tree-people, and we have lived and flourished for many long years among the giant mallorns. We are as much a part of the tree canopy as the leaves and the branches. That is why we are not easily seen."
"That and the fact that they garb themselves in magical cloth," Aragorn offered.
Ellie turned to face the man, her eyes wide with surprise, then gently fingered the shadowy-gray fabric of Haldir's tunic. "This cloth?"
Aragorn nodded.
A fleeting look of annoyance crossed Haldir's face, and then he smiled again. "The cloth renders its wearer almost invisible if he so wishes, for it matches every shade of green and gray and brown found in the woodlands. Only a handful of Lorien Elves know how to weave it, Ellie. This special cloth is one of our most jealously guarded secrets," he told her. A secret he would have shared with his daughter soon enough, but not in front of the Fellowship.
Ellie found it fascinating. "Do your people weave magical cloth in Mirkwood too?" she asked Legolas, but he shook his head, and thought, as he eyed the gray tunic Haldir had given him to wear over his new long shirt, We are in much need of it, however. In truth, he was slightly in awe of the Lorien Elves and their crafting skills, although he would never admit to such a feeling--or show it.*
"Can you see the Elves?" she now asked him. Legolas smiled, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder as he pointed to a nearby copse. He had avoided touching her during their trek from Cerin Amroth, for he did not want to see her recoil, or pull away again. But this time, Ellie did neither. Instead she leaned into him, her eyes tracing a path in the direction Legolas' finger was pointing.
At first, Ellie could not discern anyone as she peered long and hard into the shadowy copse--for the lamps of Caras Galadhon were strung high in the trees and much of the forest floor remained in darkness. Ellie squinted and slowly scanned the thicket. She was about to give up when she saw a faint movement, a stirring that belonged to no branch or leaf.
"I think I see someone," she whispered excitedly to Legolas. And sure enough, in the next instant, her eyes, now accustomed to the darkling wood, could make out the silhouettes of two persons standing right where Legolas had indicated. Ellie grinned, and suddenly, two sets of pearly white teeth smiled back at her from the shadows.
Moments later, the girl waved at the two Elves as Haldir led the Fellowship past the copse, and Legolas, who walked close behind her, leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "You may not look it, Ellie, but you are as much an Elf as any one of us."
Encouraged by his words, and feeling proud of her accomplishment, Ellie turned her head just as he finished speaking, and came nose to nose with Legolas. The girl and the Elf momentarily stopped in their tracks and he instinctively put his hands around her waist. His heart rejoiced when she did not immediately pull back.
"I am beginning to believe it," Ellie whispered against his mouth, her breath a warm caress that sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine. And just as she started to take a step, Legolas pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss, and released her.
He made no apologies, nor did she expect any. Indeed, Ellie was so pleased that they had moved past their earlier awkwardness that she gave him a shy smile before turning away. The specter of Nev still hung between them, but the girl was willing to let it go for the moment. Ellie wanted nothing to spoil her first magical impressions of the City of the Trees. She wanted to share her joy and exhilaration with the people she loved most in the world--and Legolas was one of them.
As they followed the winding trails, climbing countless steps of stone and earth, farther and higher into Caras Galadhon, Ellie saw more Elves hidden among the tree trunks, and sometimes, looking down from low branches. She felt proud to be able to point them out to Legolas, before he pointed them out to her, and soon it became a game between them. Every time Ellie tugged at his sleeve or started in excitement at a new sighting, Legolas chuckled to himself. Her innocent delight reminded him of Jamie.
In fact, the boy too became a part of the game, grabbing one or the other's arm and crying out "Where? Where?" every time Ellie or Legolas gestured to the trees around them.
As he ruffled the boy's unruly hair--it is almost as long as an Elfling's, he thought absently--Legolas realized that he loved Jamie. Truly loved him. Ellie might not be willing to accept it yet, but in his heart, the three of them were already a family.
Eventually, brightly lit talans came into view, perched high in the mallorns.
"Why, they're like flowers!" Ellie now exclaimed in wonder, her large eyes seeming to capture every twinkling light above them.
"Bluebells and lilies and tulips," Sam enthusiastically agreed, from somewhere behind. The girl turned to smile at him. "And that one, Miss Ellie," he told her, pointing to a talan topped off with a golden dome, "is most definitely a kingcup."
Haldir and his Elves shared amused looks. But the girl and the hobbit were not being fanciful or silly. From the ground up the talans did look like colorful blossoms, in every shape and size imaginable. So beautiful were the dwellings of the Lorien Elves, that every single member of the Fellowship, from the smallest hobbit to the princely Legolas, kept their eyes trained on the treetops, glancing only sparingly at the leaf-strewn path as they walked.
Eventually, Haldir led them to the crest of the hill, where the mightiest mallorn in all of Lorien stood in splendor, lit by what seemed to be hundreds--if not thousands--of tiny silver lamps. Before it, set a wide lawn of soft green grass with a shimmering fountain of white stone. The fountain emptied into a large silver basin shaped like a mallorn leaf, and then spilled over to form a small stream.
As the Fellowship crossed the open space, their eyes and mouths agog at the wondrous sight before them, Elves dressed in their magical gray, and some in gowns of iridescent white, appeared from every side. Soon the lawn was overflowing with Elves come to welcome the ten companions, and among them Ellie saw Nevladiel.
The girl expected her aunt to approach them--common courtesy demanded it. But Nev did not move, nor did she acknowledge Ellie's smile. Indeed, she seemed completely unaware of her niece's presence. Her pale eyes were fixed on Legolas, and they had been from the moment she had spotted him on the green lawn. Ellie followed Nev's gaze and, not surprisingly, met Legolas' loving eyes. He is watching me, and not her, the girl realized, and was absurdly pleased. Then she looked at her aunt again.
Nev stood slightly apart from the others, poised and elegant and regal in her stance. Once more, Ellie was struck by her aunt's astonishing beauty, so pale and incandescent that the girl felt as if she was staring at the moon. Jealousy, insidious and unwelcome, stirred in Ellie's breast, and she ruthlessly quelled it, shifting her gaze instead to the tall, handsome Elf who stood next to Nev, with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. The girl briefly wondered if he was one of her uncles. His hair was the same gold color as her father's and he had sharp, aquiline features that fit with the image she had formed of her Uncle Orophin. But there was something in the Elf's attitude--possessiveness, perhaps--that made her discard that notion.
"Who is that standing next to my aunt, Father?" the girl asked as they came to a halt before the majestic mallorn. Ellie was staring so intently at Nev and the stranger that she did not realize she had interrupted Haldir's conversation with Galadriel's emissary.
Haldir paused and glanced his sister's way before facing Ellie. Just as they left Cerin Amroth, his daughter had mentioned Nev's early morning visit, but because they were not alone, neither had brought up Legolas. That talk lay before them still.
"He is Lord Erethon, Nev's…suitor," Haldir now replied, watching his daughter closely.
"Do you mean to say that my aunt has a beau?" Ellie's voice was disbelieving.
"Not just a beau, Ellie. She and Erethon have been together for several years now, and he has every intention of marrying her." Whether Nevladiel had any intention of accepting was a whole different matter, and not one he cared to discuss with his daughter. It was best if Ellie thought that Nev would soon become another Elf's wife.
Legolas apparently agreed, for when Haldir met his piercing gaze, the Prince nodded slightly.
Ellie's brow furrowed in bewilderment as she pondered Haldir's words. How can Nev ask Legolas to be her lover if she already has one? Especially when they are to be wed! It was simply incomprehensible to someone as upright and naïve as Ellie. She raised puzzled eyes to Legolas' face, but if the Elf understood her unspoken question, he gave no indication of it. And then she recalled what he had told her just this morning. Legolas had said that Nev had been "no innocent maiden" one thousand years ago, implying…what? That Nev was loose? That she took a casual view of physical intimacy and affairs of the heart? That she was faithless? Maybe. And for the first time, Ellie considered the possibility that her aunt was not as blameless--and Legolas not as blameworthy--as she had believed.
"May I go and greet her?" the girl asked her father. If Nev would not come to them, then she would go to her.
"Not now, Ellie. There will be time later. Thonnas is taking all of you forthwith to meet the Lord and Lady of the Wood. I will join you shortly."
And with a brief, encouraging smile at his daughter, Haldir left the Fellowship in the capable hands of Galadriel's emissary. Then he watched as the ten companions started to climb the elaborately carved staircase that wound around the massive trunk. When they were no longer in sight, Haldir turned toward his sister.
The other Elves had begun to disperse, but not Nevladiel, for Haldir had motioned for her to remain. Having sent Erethon away with a promise to meet him later, she now sat by the stone fountain, her skirts spread all around on the soft grass. As Haldir approached, Nev patted the ground next to her and smiled.
"Will you join me for a while?" she asked, trying hard to stay calm and composed, but her voice was tremulous. Nev was nervous, even scared. She did not want to anger Haldir, or displease him in any way. Nearly three hundred years ago, Nevladiel had betrayed her brother. She had known Naia was leaving, but not the reason why. She had seen Naia leave, and had said nothing until it was too late. Nev had thought the mortal human coarse and unrefined, ill-mannered, and far, far beneath any Elf. At the time, she was glad to see her go.
But Haldir had never forgiven his sister, and Nev had regretted the loss of his affection and esteem ever since. Now, she was treading on dangerous ground again. She wanted Legolas, and meant to have him, but unfortunately, so did Ellie. May the Valar curse the girl! she thought for the hundredth time since that morning. Having met Ellie, Nev believed that she could wrest Legolas from her niece, but she would have to do it carefully, gently, to not incur Haldir's wrath.
"Come sit," she entreated her brother again, her eyes almost pleading. Few had ever been able to resist such an appeal from Nev.
Since her betrayal, Haldir was one of those few. As he looked down at his beautiful sister, he stood as still and unmoved as a stone statue. "I must presently re-join the Fellowship," he informed her, "but we need to talk, in private and at length. I request," although in truth it sounded more like a warning, "that you wait for me here and I will come back ahead of the others." Then he smiled grimly and turned away.
But Nev clutched his wrist with a hand that suddenly felt like ice. She was truly frightened now. "Is there something wrong, Haldir?" she asked, her voice cracking. If Legolas has spoken to him…but, no, that cannot be! Legolas is not one to share confidences. He is a Prince…
"Perhaps you will tell me, Nev," he countered, glancing over his shoulder. Haldir took in his sister's agitated state, saw the fear in her eyes that she could no longer mask, and realized that Nev was terrified of him. Of what he might do. So Legolas was not mistaken, he thought. Nevladiel was still in love with the Mirkwood Prince, and wanted him back. Haldir almost relented then, as his heart filled with pity for his sister, but then he reasoned further, If she is afraid of me, it is on account of Ellie. She knows that Legolas loves Ellie, but means to have him anyway. And he steeled his softening heart against Nevladiel.
Before leaving, Haldir faced her fully once again, and cupped her chin. As his eyes bore into hers, mercilessly stripping her of the last vestiges of courage, he quietly warned, "I know that you have met my daughter, Nev. Once, long ago, you betrayed me. You will not betray me twice. Wait for me here." And with that final command, he walked away.
But Nevladiel could not do it. No matter how afraid she was to defy Haldir's wishes, she could not wait. Because she was so afraid. Throughout her entire life, Nev had avoided confrontation, and cowered whenever she heard voices raised in anger--even when they were not raised against her, which was most often the case. She considered arguing vulgar, not befitting a gentle-Elf. In fact, Nev did not know how to argue, or how to defend herself against a verbal attack, for she had been so shamelessly indulged and coddled her entire life that she had had little reason to--that is, until Naia's departure.
When the woman left Lothorien nearly three hundred years ago, Nev had borne the brunt of Haldir's terrible temper, and she had been unable to cope-- hiding for days on end like a scared rabbit, shunning her family's talan for that of her lover, and quivering every time she crossed her brother's path. She had always thrived on the approval and admiration of others, and because of her great beauty, had come to expect such admiration, particularly from her family. Haldir's anger and subsequent rejection had devastated Nev. Nearly as much as Legolas' one thousand years ago.
Now confrontation was upon her once again. Somehow, Haldir knew her secret. Her plans. As she watched her brother's retreating back, her stomach clenched and heaved. Her heart thundered in her chest, keeping rhythm with the sudden pounding in her head. He knows! And she all but strangled on her fear.
Once the panic overtook her, Nev knew she could not remain. She jumped to her feet, and ran from the wide lawn. She ran blindly, wildly, with a flurry of skirts, as if she were running for her very life--and nearly knocked down an Elf who was helping to set up the guest pavilion for the Fellowship.
Haldir turned just in time to see her leave.
Nevladiel reminded him of a deer in flight. A deer with wide, panicked eyes trying in vain to escape the hunter's arrow…
*Why would Legolas be in awe of the Lorien Elves? The reason is simple. Many (although not most) of the Golden Wood's inhabitants, including the Lady Galadriel, were Noldor--exiles from Valinor who had returned to Middle-Earth thousands of years earlier, and their descendants. The Noldor were the most learned among the Elves, excelling in handicrafts, the arts, languages, and writing. But Legolas and his father were Sindar, or Grey Elves. In the past, their people had been somewhat scorned by the Noldor. For the Sindar, although no less wise than their brethren, were renown mainly for their musical talents, and little else. Those who remained in Middle-Earth had never seen the Undying Lands.
Dear Readers: I know this chapter had a lot of narrative in it. But I felt compelled to describe what Ellie was seeing and feeling as she entered Caras Galadhon, her new home. Also, I wanted to depict Ellie's reconciliation with Legolas in a realistic way, so in this chapter I showed how they were gradually, but surely, coming together again (fear not: there is still a dramatic make-up scene left to come!) I hope that you were pleased with what I wrote, especially the new plot twist. I promise that there will be PLENTY of romance and love-making, not to mention soul-searching, in the chapters that follow. And just in case you are wondering, Nev has NOT disappeared. Please keep the feedback coming! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
To Anonomous (aka sdsdsds): yours was one of the best reviews I have ever received, and it came at a critical moment. A few days ago, I was in a major writing slump, but YOU lifted me out of it! Your review meant so much to me that I have shared it with my significant other and one of my dearest friends. Thank you so much!
To Nikki1: Believe me, I am quite anxious for Ellie and Legolas to reconcile, but I want to make it seem realistic. One simply cannot rush these things! ;-)
To Briamber: Part of the reason I started revising E.C. instead of simply continuing where I had left off early last year was to ADD depth to my characters. I am pleased that you think my efforts have paid off.
To Cemhp4eva: Keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing! ;-)
To Anon-101-6: Thanks for complimenting my dialogues. At one point I considered writing dialogues my greatest weakness, but I have been working hard to improve them.
Horsewhisperer of Rohan: Love your nickname! I'm gonna try to update more quickly that I have been doing these past few weeks, but I've entered a very busy time in my life! LOL!
To Kiwi Canadian Girl: Thank you so much for returning to the story. I am happy to know that you approve of my changes. Please keep reading!
To YNG: Glad you like my idea! At first I wasn't sure what readers would think of this whole Ilissan brouhaha, but I am pleased with the response I have received so far!
To Wicklowe: I am so moved when I read that my story has made someone cry or almost cry--not because I am sadistic or anything, but because it means that I have touched an emotional chord in my readers. Thank you very much! And, yes, I will be continuing the story through the end of ROTK, but once the Fellowship leaves Lothlorien, I will be AT LEAST halfway finished.
To Kwannom: Expect a lot more Haldir scenes in the next few chapters!
To Astrum Coeli: Ellie is 285 years old.
To Maybe Tonight: Do you think I should start a new story when the Fellowship leaves Lothlorien? I had always thought to keep it all together, even though I call the first part Book One and the second part (after Lothlorien) Book Two.
To obsessed-lotr-girl: Wow! Thanks for the compliment! I must say, I love writing "happy, sad, and mushy all at the same time." In real life, my emotions are all over the map, so I figure it should be the same in my fictional world!
To Nimthoron: I used to think I couldn't write fiction either. But you never know until you try! With practice, you are bound to improve.
To Nevasaiel: I'm glad my story is still your favorite. I LOVE the tale of Aragorn and Arwen, and quite frankly, I think that someone should make a movie about it!
To Avian Lee: When you want to make both bolds and italics, simply select/highlight the word with your cursor, hit the italics (or bold) icon/key, then select the word again and hit the bold (or italics) icon/key.
To Andria: because you and I shared the same concerns about Nev, I was anxious about your reaction to the changes I made. You cannot imagine how relieved and pleased I was to read your review. Nev will not be playing "the woman scorned" for very long, thank goodness. She is Ellie's aunt, and one day soon she is going to realize what that means.
To elfiehead: Love that word--CRIKEY. Believe me, the last thing I would want is for Leggy to end up with some goddess-like female--something I most definitely am NOT! ;-)
TO ALL MY REVIEWERS: THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR READING MY STORY AND SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ME!
