Annowe awoke with a start when she hard the knock on the door. Disoriented, she sat up on the bed and looked around.
Legs is gone was her first thought.
"Enter," she called weakly, rubbing her eyes and trying to compose her self.
Elladan came into the room and quietly shut the door behind him.
He could tell that she had been crying, her eyes were still red and puffy and he could still see the tear streaks on her round cheeks.
"How are you?" He asked gently.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she exhaled and opened her eyes to him.
"I'll survive," she admitted.
Elladan grimaced.
"How is Arwen?" Annowe asked.
He sighed heavily and drew up a chair to sit down. "As well as can be expected. Elrohir is with her now. Father thinks it best if he just remains in the background for a few weeks."
Annowe arched an eyebrow sarcastically. Ever the diplomat that Elrond. Even with his own children.
"Yes, that is probably best. One of these days he'll realize that she has a heart and mind of her own," Annowe informed her sibling.
"True," he admitted. "And she will do what she wants in the end. Just like you are going to do what you want." He eyed her shrewdly and she smiled thinly.
"What are you going to do?" He asked her. "I know you better than to think you're going to remain here or return to the sea and wait for this to end."
She cocked her head and wondered how much she could or should tell him and how much he would figure out on his own.
"Are you going to try and stop me?" She demanded.
Elladan laughed. "No. That would be stupid as well as pointless."
Annowe had to chuckle at this. He knew her frightfully well.
"I'm thinking that they have a better chance of getting through if Sauron's attention is focused elsewhere," she hinted.
Elladan immediately understood. "You plan on diverting The Eye." Yes, that would make sense. "How?"
She frowned. "I'm not exactly sure yet. I need to return to Mirkwood for a few days to revive myself and retrieve my weapons."
"Why do you need your weapons?" he asked suspiciously. He did not like the sound of that.
She smiled indulgently at him and hopped off the bed to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"It's more of a precaution, actually. If, Eru forbid, that they do not make it through," she squeezed his shoulder and swallowed hard at the thought then continued. "Then Sauron will rise again and the free Creatures of Middle Earth will make a stand against him."
Elladan shivered at the thought. She was correct, of course. If the Fellowship failed, there would be a last stand somewhere and she obviously planned on participating.
"The last stand of Middle Earth," he whispered. It would be more terrible than he could possibly imagine.
"Yes," she said grimly, turning to face him. "I know these creatures and they will not go quietly into the night. We would rather die on our feet than live on our knees."
In that moment, Elladan, too, resolved that he would not stand idly by if that terrible day ever came. He stood up and hugged her.
"Go," he said. "Go and do what you need to. Send word if we can be of help. And be careful!"
She patted him on the back. "Go take care of your sister. She will be miserable sitting here brooding over the Ranger with nothing else to do."
Elladan squeezed her tightly. "I will have a horse ready for you at the gate," he informed her.
"Thank you. My regards to your brother," she answered.
Ellandan left as silently as he had entered the room and Annowe returned to her packing.
She stared at the bed for a few moments, remembering the previous evening of watching Legs sleep, wondering fleetingly where he was. Unconsciously, she removed the silken pillowcase that he had lain on and held it to her face as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply of his scent. She did not know how she would cope if anything happened to him.
When she opened her eyes and lowered the pillowcase, she spied a glint of silver sticking from under the sheet. Curious, she reached down and pulled the sheet completely away, exposing the silver comb that she had used on his hair the night before.
With a noise between a gasp and a sigh, she snatched up the precious object and noticed that several of his luminous hairs were still entangled in the teeth. Delicately, she entwined his hairs more firmly around the comb so not to lose them then tenderly placed it in her pack along with the pillowcase. These would be her comfort during the long dark days ahead.
A/N: Me, too, Jebb. I don't quite know where it's going yet.