6. Stirring

There was a hard knock on Arwen's door followed by a loud voice.

"Arwen, mely; are you in there?"

She turned round quickly and hurriedly folded up her starry cloak. She put the bowl of star-water under a chair in the shadows.

"Yes, I'm just coming," she called, recognising her grandfather's voice. She ran to her two saddle bags, the cloak pinned under her arm, while Celeborn cautiously opened the door.

"There you are now, all ready to go. Here, let me take these." He held out his hands and Arwen willingly passed him the bags, relieved that she would not have to go down the ladder carrying them. However Celeborn climbed down the white steps with much ease and Arwen was quite shocked he did not stumble once, or get tangled up in the bags like she usually would.

At the bottom of the mallorn tree they met Haldir, talking to two of the guards (the third must have wandered off somewhere). He smiled welcomingly as the couple approached.

"Haldir has kindly helped me to find you some elves to travel with," Celeborn explained, with Haldir accepting one of the saddle bags from his Lord.

"Yes, I have found you four companions, Arwen." He talked as they left the lawn and began to walk down the darkened lanes between the white-glowing trees. "I know you would normally have a girl to be with, but I am afraid you will have to make do with four men this time. Not that you mind, of course," he added at the end, grinning at Arwen. She also was beaming, but mainly still from the rain of star-water and her twilight cloak, which she was pleased no one had yet noticed.

"First there is Rúmil, my brother, who I am sure you have met. As you know he is a very skilled bowman. Then there is Lirë who will be the one leading you over the Misty Mountains. It was after choosing these two that I became stuck for who else could come."

He paused and they walked in silence for a while. Arwen did not mind that there no other female elves with her, even though she knew she usually would. This was because she knew deep down that if she had any close friends with her it would break her heart to leave them. She would not be able to bear knowing that they were worried sick, looking for her in vain – even thinking she might be dead. No! no no, thank goodness she would not have to go through all that.

Haldir started to speak again. "So I went through our city looking and asking for someone who wanted to come, and was able-bodied and of course, very pleasant. I then remembered Alquaran, and he was pleased to help us. And then, whilst wandering along the northern outskirts and thinking of giving up and going back to the centre of Caras Galadhon, guess who came bounding up to me?"

Arwen looked at him in faint surprise, already taken back by Alquaran.

"Why, it was Kelmeleth!"

Arwen swallowed painfully and tears watered in her eyes. Not Kelmeleth, no, that just was not fair. She had forgotten about him, not that she didn't like him, but just that most of her friends were girls. It was not really that wonted that boys were friends with girls, not unless there were about three or four of each.

But it was so different being friends with Kelmeleth compared to all her other friendships. She didn't have to watch what she said around him, she didn't have to do things she found boring with him, she didn't have to keep secrets from him. They got on perfectly, like jam with scones, and Arwen felt so relaxed with him. They had little squabbles – that was normal – but most of the time they would talk and laugh whilst doing the simple things which they both enjoyed – like picking fruit or going riding through Lórien for a day with a picnic. There were things so close to her heart which she could tell Kelmeleth with no shame, but she would never tell them to any other elf.

But now -; what was she to do? Would she have to vanish and leave him to think she had fallen off a cliff, or to tell him that she had tricked them all with a lie and say it was all so that she could be with Aragorn. Oh, it was so difficult. Either way she would feel horrible – sounding selfish if she told him or feeling selfish if she didn't. Arwen almost felt like screaming with internal agony, and she could sense her face was burning like chilli fire.

And Alquaran; she knew he had had a crush on her! What was wrong here!

She sighed heavily and saw that they had come to the elves' stables. As they rounded the corner Arwen saw a little group surrounding some horses, and as it parted Kelmeleth leapt forward, smiling joyfully at seeing her, and bringing her trotting horse by the reigns too.

"Arwen!" He threw his arms round her, Celeborn looking on slightly disapprovingly, but she immediately felt comforted by his friendly face. He was actually quite a good-looking elf, with bright eyes, a clear face and hazel brown hair with blonde streaks, and as his name suggested, he stole many elf-maidens' hearts and deepest loves. Unfortunately, Kelmeleth felt he could not be with any of them, saying he would be able to tell when his 'one' came along. This Arwen had always found funny, and even more the way in which he reacted when he was flattered.

"Did you think you could go without me?" he laughed, a high and clear sound, and his eyes shone dazzlingly at her. "Come on! I have Ninniach ready for you." Arwen's white stallion proudly neighed at the sound of his name and jumped on his front legs impatiently.

Kelmeleth took Arwen's hand and led her to him. The elf lifted her up and she sat down on the soft saddle gracefully. She watched him keenly as he fastened the saddle bags on, and also Rúmil, Alquaran and Lirë as they brought their black and chestnut horses over. Rúmil also had Kelmeleth's Túlisle, who was looking very smart to Arwen, as she had seen just the kind of things Kelmeleth got him to do sometimes. She managed to avoid Alquaran's eye-gaze.

As Rúmil and Haldir were rapidly talking of last-minute plans in hushed, urgent voices, Kelmeleth walked over to Celeborn. Celeborn did not realise that his expression showed his small dislike and annoyance at him, treating his granddaughter just like a normal girl. But Kelmeleth had seen it, and actually found it rather amusing. Still smiling merrily, he spoke to his Lord.

"Captain Celeborn," he said, the 'captain' more to get his attention interested, yet still giving him the respect he clearly wanted, "Please do not worry of having me in the company of your granddaughter. I will guard her every minute of day or night, and I will fight to my death to save her, if necessary, of course." He drew out a little knife at such speed and at such proximity to Celeborn's nose that he stepped back, startled. But it had the desired effect over him. He smiled at the younger and more tanned elf before him.

"If you are with her, then I will have no need to fear for many days then." He winked at Kelmeleth, who inclined his head slightly and move off towards his fidgeting Túlisle. He was trying to look noble and sensible, but it made him chuckle and, trying to suppress it, gave him very odd jittery movements. Arwen was smiling at the sight and having the same problems at staying quiet, but still looking rather more normal than Kelmeleth.

Rúmil mounted his horse at the same time, and Celeborn looked at the five of them with favour.

"Arwen, have a wonderful time with your father. You deserve every amount of happiness to receive. Just remember though, I will be watching for my special star every evening." He came forward and kissed Arwen's smooth hand. She smiled softly back at him.

The elves spurred their horses and Arwen followed suit. They moved off very quickly, but at the end of the road she slowed down a little, and turned to see them again.

"Namárië!" she called, "Farewell!"

"Fare you safe and well, Undómiel!" Haldir called back to her. "Maybe we shall see you here again soon. Maybe we shall yet. Farewell!"

The two elves raised their hands in parting, and Arwen smiled once more, before taking her eyes off them and chasing after Kelmeleth down the dim lane.

Looking back on their progress in that night, Arwen found everything slid into one black blur, and she could not remember much at all.

It had not taken them long to ride down to the City Gates, but even so once they had passed over the white bridge they travelled far quicker. Arwen went in the middle of the party, with Kelmeleth always just behind her. The trees were all very close together, but they managed to maintain their horses' galloping by going along in a line, with Lirë at the front watching out for all the trees magically springing out of the gloom. There were no lights in the depth of the forest, but if Arwen kept her eyes on the horse in front of her own Ninniach, then she had no worries and just steered exactly after him.

There was no sound for a long while apart from the horses' hooves beating against the hard earth, and it was impossible to talk while rushing at that speed – for all sound was lost in the stinging air and Arwen would have been likely to crash into an innocent-looking dull grey tree if she had tried to look at Kelmeleth.

She was quite content though to keep up the galloping, and she loved the feeling of the strong air in her face, brushing her long hair out after her like a river. The freshness in it woke her up fully, and she felt very eager and extremely happy to think she was coming nearer and nearer to Aragorn.

But after two hours went by, and all the riders were lost in deep thought, the wind picked up rapidly on all sides, and all five of the elves had their own hair strewn over their faces and tickling their nostrils. Arwen was irritated with the gusts blasting into both ears, especially as it happened at the same time, and resulted in shaking her head all over the place, as if to shake all the disobedient air out. This actually made the situation worse for her, and along with her hair whipping her bare cheeks fiercely and criss-crossing over her eyes, she received a bunch of hair into her open mouth, immediately spitting it out and scraping it off her tongue with her teeth. But she soon ended up in the same place after laughing at what she knew Kelmeleth's reaction to seeing her in this unusual state would be.

Gradually the trees became more spread out and they were able to ride closer next to each other. The weather however did not improve, and although it was an hour and a half before sunrise, the land around the elves seemed to be growing darker and the shadows of the plants lingered in the air, altogether making it much colder and miserable.

Way above through the waning leaves Arwen could see black clouds drift slowly over, and then not move anymore. She felt less high in spirits and found herself wishing she had brought along another cloak she could hurriedly wrap round herself, for she did not want to try her twilight cloak on in the company of anyone else, certainly not for the first time at least.

Arwen then realised that they had passed out of Lothlórien, but the dimness had prevented her from seeing it before. Looking back, her hair becoming even more tangled, she could just about see an even darker patch behind them than the murkiness that hollered around them. Up in front, Lirë gave a loud high cry, which only just found its way through the buffeting wind and into Arwen's pointy ears. She slowed Ninniach down, who she could feel relax gratefully, and she could sense the two elves behind do the same. She stroked his soft neck, gleaming even through the darkness, and he twitched his ears, as if to thank her.

Their pace now a steady trot, Arwen could feel that the cold night wind was a little less bitter, but she could also hear very clearly the hissing of the long dry grasses under the horses' skipping hooves. The rhythm much slower, Arwen found herself being lulled sleepily into dazed dreams. She felt so drowsy she was almost dizzy, and she tried blinking every few seconds, also trying to shake herself awake. Arwen felt so relieved when she heard Lirë's clear voice call out again.

"Aurë utúlië!" Day has come! Arwen smiled gratefully and saw a soft faint light behind in the east, feebly coming through the storm-clouds, but still there. "Ôl Arwen?" The thought of sleep was like heaven to her, and her own voice pierced the thickening air in great agreement to Lirë.

He stopped his chestnut horse and the others settled around him, the horses snorting heavily and the riders feeling slightly odd at the lack of bouncing motion.

Rúmil quickly lit a candle, which gave a surprising amount of light, and he looked around them, before hopping down.

"I think it is wise if we sleep during the day and ride in the night, for once we are on the mountain there are orcs which, even though we will be under snow tunnels, may catch sight of us; particularly when we first travel up the slopes." He jumped of his horse. "Yes, this land seems firm and flat enough to me. We will be hidden amongst the grass, especially with our cloaks."

Arwen wobbly climbed down and fumbled with a buckle on one of her saddle bags. It seemed rather impossible in the gloom however, and being exhausted didn't help.

"Here," Alquaran handed Arwen a candle and undid the bag strap for her. She thought it was very kind of him considering, and smiled softly at him as he left her. She got her own small lantern out and quickly struck it, before she took the saddle off Ninniach, and then his harness. He nuzzled lovingly against her arm, and she kissed his warm muzzle, thanking him quietly for his speed and strength.

Then, as he set himself down on the ground next to Túlisle, Arwen too collapsed into the grass and pulled her twilight cloak out, not caring much now about what happened, just wanting to be warm. But just then, Kelmeleth came over and knelt down beside her, the twilight cloak hidden on her lap.

"Would you like some Lembas? You must be hungry, and I did make it myself," he asked her hopefully. Arwen smiled wearily and took the sweet bread from his outstretched hand.

"Thank you," she whispered, realising the three other elves had already lain down, even though they may be munching themselves. "It's really good."

Kelmeleth's face was hidden in shadow, but she could sense he was very pleased she liked it. "And," he said, still in a hushed voice, "did you remember your water?"

Arwen sighed tiredly. No she hadn't, and she did not feel at all like being annoyed while she was this sleepy.

"Arwen, don't worry!" Kelmeleth was surprised at her depression and felt a bit bad. "Arwen, I know you! I brought some extra, just in case." He gently placed a bottle by her and rose, walking silently to his own grass-hollow.

Arwen felt very thankful and, finishing the bread and taking gulps of the cool soothing water, she shook her cloak, scattering the crumbs all around. Then, lying down cosily under the grass, she brought the cloak, impossible to see in the poor light, down over all of her body. She snuggled under the hem, and bringing her toes up to her warmer body, sighed contentedly before floating into peaceful slumber.