Chapter Five – A Time to Laugh
Laurè smiled softly. She remembered the years spent raising Celeborn with happiness, having spent most of those times in laughter at his antics as he grew. Galadriel had been true to her word; she had visited very occasionally, hardly ever for more than a couple of hours, and never speaking to the growing prince, who watched her in awe and wonder, often from a great distance. She had found his watchful eyes very annoying, and indeed, had even asked him once not to stare at her. He had obeyed her that one time, after some convincing by Laurè, and every other visit after had watched her from the window, or the doorway, unwilling to give up the chance to observe his 'golden-haired princess'.
Unfortunately, he had not out-grown his awkwardness by the age of thirteen, and found it very hard to get along with his peers as they played the rough-and tumble games of all children beneath the trees of Lindon. He spent increasing amounts of time with Laurè, learning everything she could tell him about the races of Middle-earth and enjoying lively discussions with her about their different ways and customs. Laurè found their talks enlightening, and was touched when one evening he had broached the subject of love, inwardly pleased that he had chosen her to confide in …
Laurè watched Celeborn play with the fire, seeing all the signs of a troubled mind. He had not been very talkative all evening, though he had refused to allow her to leave him to himself, asking that she stay with him until he felt ready to talk to her. The firelight was gentle to his features, softening the adolescence of his face into the mellowness of adulthood, showing her how handsome he would be in just a few short years. If only his confidence were more, she thought, knowing that it was the other children's teasing that made him shy away from conversation and interaction with them. It wasn't as if he was an unattractive boy, it was just that he was not as good-looking as other Elves.
He sighed suddenly, looking up at her with an unreadable expression.
'Laurè, have you ever been in love?' he asked her suddenly, his hand stilling in the act of stirring the fire.
Laurè looked up at him, surprised by the question. She had never done him the disservice of not telling him the truth, and even now, with this highly personal question, she did not intend to begin.
'No, Celeborn, I do not believe I have ever been in love,' she told him. 'I have had many close friends that I have loved in my own way, and I love you like a brother, but, no, I have never known the love that I sense you are speaking of.'
His cheeks flushed slightly as he ducked his head, staring back at the dancing flames.
'Do you want to fall in love?' he asked earnestly, almost as if he needed to know the answer.
Laurè smiled.
'I honestly don't know,' she said softly. 'Once I thought I might; I thought all I ever wanted to do was be a wife and mother. But seasons have changed the way I once thought, and now I do not know if I want to know the apparent joy that is love.'
'Why do you say it is apparently joy?' Celeborn inquired of her curiously, frowning slightly in the darkness.
'Because I have seen many people fall in and out of love,' she told him. 'I envy those who have lasting love, the ones who have been married for hundreds of years and still love one another as deeply as they did when first they met. With others, when they are in love, they were gloriously happy, content with their world, but when that love draws to an end, their world shatters, and they fall into the deepest misery I have ever seen.'
He frowned, concerned, his expression morphing suddenly into serious determination.
'It won't happen with me,' he said firmly. 'When I marry, it will be forever, and we'll love each other as long as we live.'
Laurè smiled slyly.
'We?' she asked. 'And who might the lucky she-elf be?'
The blush that lit up his face was crimson, and rose more quickly than she had ever seen before. He glanced down at his feet, and back at the fire, before finally lifting his eyes to hers.
'The Lady Galadriel,' he murmured shyly, his eyes alight with affection for the lady in question.
Laurè tried to look surprised. She had watched him fall slowly in love with her friend for years, and had never broached the subject with Galadriel, for fear of scaring her off like she had when they had first discovered what had happened to put them in the centre of things. She knew exactly what should happen between her friend and her protégé, and was not going to interfere until she knew she would have to.
'May I ask why?' she said gently.
His eyes glowed as he looked up at her, warming to his subject as he spoke.
'She is a ray of light in my world, Laurè,' he told her eagerly. 'Ever since I was young, she was always there, beautiful to look at, but out of reach for a child such as me. I used to listen to your conversations with her; I feel like I know her almost as well as you do, though I know I never could. I always thought she was perfect until I listened to you both, and I know now that she is not, but that only makes her lovelier. I am enchanted by her, Laurè, and I will marry her when I grow old enough.'
Laurè raised an eyebrow.
'Doesn't she have a say in this?' she teased him, watching him blush once more and laugh nervously.
'I would hope she will love me the way I adore her,' he said, obviously besotted with Galadriel, despite her ignoring him for many years.
Laurè looked at him, seeing him clearly in the waning light. Perhaps he needed some time away from Lindon, she thought; time to learn the difference between love and attraction. Certainly, Galadriel would be more likely to take to him if she did not know him as the awkward teenager who watched her all the time.
'I think it's time you saw a bit more of the world, Celeborn,' she murmured, forcing down a smile at the startled look of joy on his face. 'The halls of Khazad-dûm, perhaps, and the cities of the kings of Men; the riders of Rohan; even the home of the little folk they say is north of Amon Sul. Of course, it would mean you would be away from Galadriel …'
He then came out with a far more mature answer than she would have expected from a love-struck teenager.
'But this might be my only chance to see all the places you have,' he declared. 'Love can wait until I'm older, I want to see the world the way you have, and the people you've known. Please, Laurè, can we go?'
She laughed in delight at his eagerness, half-expecting him to leap up and begin packing at once.
'Of course we can go,' she assured him. 'We'll take the long way round, I think, and see all the places I've seen; Gondor; Arnor; Rohan; Khazad-dûm; the Misty Mountains; there is so much to show you.'
'It'll take us years to see them all,' Celeborn said, and she could see him working out the route in his mind. 'Oh, I can live without a sight of Galadriel for a few years, if only to be able to tell her of my journeys when we come back. Thank you, Laurè.'
He leapt to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly as she laughed at his enthusiasm. It would be a long journey, she knew, but if his reaction to the thought of going was anything to go by, it wouldn't feel as long as it could.
They had spent many years travelling the roads across Middle-earth, spending a few months in each place they visited. Laurè could remember how amazed Celeborn had been when he met with the kings of Gondor and Arnor, and learned to ride the wild horses of the Rohirrim. She had taught him to speak Westron, the common language of Middle-earth, but he had always felt uncomfortable forming the words, and as such, the archaic way of speech he used now when he spoke Common was exactly as it had been when he had been growing. The Elves of Greenwood had been a quiet relief from the toil of walking the earth, allowing them to rest themselves for more than a few months as she introduced him to her old friends from the war, including the young king, Thranduil, who had saved her life in the midst of one of their great battles against the Orcs.
After their not so brief stop among their kin, during which Celeborn developed a deep love of the Greenwood, Laurè had taken him to the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, bartering passage within with her knowledge of the healing arts. They had been oddly fortunate in a way, she remembered ruefully, that the Dwarves had recently had a cave-in in one of their vaults, and needed the help to tend to their casualties. Whilst she had dealt with the rising tide of Dwarves with various health problems, Celeborn had taken the time to learn the Dwarvish customs and traditions, spending time with the elders of the caverns, surprising them with his wit and quick mind. It was there, more than anywhere, that Laurè saw him grow in confidence and intelligence, and it was during this time that she had gained a fondness for the Dwarves for their kind treatment of her young friend.
When, at last, he had felt he had learned all he could from the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, he had turned to Laurè in search of something else to do, and they had taken their leave of the underground kingdom amid fond farewells and injunctions to return when they could. In icy weather, they had set off North, braving the wind and snow to arrive at the gates of Amon Sul in the company of the Dunédain, who escorted them into the watchtower with great pomp and ceremony. They had been encouraged to stay for a while, to observe the comings and goings of the world of Men as they passed through the region, bringing tales of the world to the North and West. During this period, Celeborn had often sought her out to ask her of her years spent in the town of Bree, and the reasons behind it. And she had told him the truth that she had told Ostoher so many years before – that the family had been friends of hers in the centuries before they had been born, and that she had returned for resolution. He had seemed to understand there was more to it than just that, but did not pry, showing her yet another side to his character that was developing throughout their journey.
And she remembered the wonderful discovery they made while staying at Amon Sul, the discovery that restored the confidence in her chosen path with a single glance at a visiting merchant. The Man in question had been selling a plant called pipe-weed, something you put in a pipe and smoked, and when questioned, he had told her that it came from a place called the Shire, where the Hobbits lived. Celeborn had not understood her glee on hearing that name, but had willingly allowed himself to be dragged up to the borders of the Shire, despite his disinterest, and watch his mentor grow increasingly more excited as she met with the halfling race that inhabited the region.
For herself, Laurè had been overjoyed to find all the old familiar names that she had grown up with as a part of fiction alive and being used. On the border, there were the Brandybucks and Tooks, huge families that spread a long way, and if all went as planned, would continue for thousands of years to come. As they travelled further into the Shire, they came across Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Sackvilles, Chubbs, Proudfoots, Bunces, and Gamgees … so many names that brought yet more hope into her heart. And finally, it had been a wonderful experience to meet a very young Master Baggins at the market in Hobbiton, and saw the hill that would become, one day, Bag End. But it wasn't just the names that made her feel so at home, she had soon realised. It had been the whole feel of the Shire, the pureness of the fields and woods, and the little rivers. She had soon come to appreciate the Hobbits' home, and it was a feeling that remained with her to this day; throughout all the ages she had seen it change so little despite the troubles that had wracked the world outside their borders.
Laurè closed her eyes and saw, as she always did, the sweeping fields of the Shire, spotted with hobbit holes and the hobbits themselves. A fond smile lit up her face as her eyes opened once more, finding a purpose in looking down on the windows of the room within which four young hobbits were sleeping through the long night. They would be here only a very short time, before beginning on a quest that would change them irrevocably, and she knew that in some way, she was responsible for those changes. And again, the pain that caused within her was locked away for that elusive someday when she would give herself time to grieve.
But, as she had learnt very quickly during her first years as an Elf, all good things had to end, and it was better if you ended them yourself, so she had packed up her not so young protégé and brought him home to Lindon, the Elven stronghold they had left almost twenty years before. And she had had the treat of watching him grow more and more nervous as the moment approached when he would look upon his golden-haired princess once more …
It felt good to be home once more. Laurè could feel the peace settling into her spirit as she rode through the trees, greeting old friends as they hailed her in passing. The greeting she received from her oldest friend, however, was the most welcome of these. Words spoken in her mind announced that Galadriel knew she was here, and a joyous yell alerted her to her friend's approach. She swung down from her horse in time to catch her as they slammed into one another, hugging each other tightly amidst laughter.
'It's taken you long enough to get back here,' Galadriel declared. 'Do you have any idea how boring it's been around here without you making trouble?'
Laurè made a face of mock-anger.
'I do not make trouble,' she protested, smiling along with her friend as she continued to tease her.
'Oh yeah?' Galadriel grinned. 'What about spending years with the Dwarves? You weren't very popular here when the news got back to us, you know. Taking the only member of ruined Doriath's royalty into a Dwarvish kingdom – what were you thinking?'
Laurè gave her a friendly scowl.
'That an understanding of other cultures will help him in the years to come,' she shot back.
Galadriel laughed.
'Oh please,' she scorned. 'How will that help your little drip of a prince be anything more than what he is?'
Laurè tried hard not to laugh.
'Believe me, it will,' she managed, reining in the amusement.
'Oh, yet another mysterious memory,' her friend joked, looking around curiously. 'By the way, where is he?'
Before Laurè could answer, Celeborn stepped forward, bowing low to Galadriel with a devilishly handsome smile.
'Lady Galadriel,' he greeted her formally, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles.
Again, Laurè had to hold back a snort of laughter as Galadriel's jaw dropped.
'Celeborn?' the gob-smacked she-elf stammered, obviously shocked by the change in the young man. 'You've grown up.'
Laurè decided now was the best time to test a theory she had held for a while; that Galadriel wasn't nearly as good at shielding as she thought she was. She formed the thought she wanted to send clearly, and raised her mental voice as loudly as she could.
'Smooth, Ri, very smooth.'
The reaction wasn't quite what she was expecting. Galadriel raised an eyebrow, but her expression didn't change as she stared up at Celeborn in sudden adoration. She answered within Laurè's mind, an answer she had expected, however it came about.
'Shut up. He's gorgeous, isn't he? Are you sure this is him?'
Laurè smiled.
'Absolutely certain. He's quite handy to have around.'
Celeborn was speaking to Galadriel, offering her his arm to lead her back into the hall. She threw a bright-eyed look over her shoulder at Laurè as she took his hand, allowing him to lead her wherever he wished. Her parting thought threw Laurè into silent giggles.
'I bet I could teach him a thing or two to do with those hands …'
Even now, thousands of years after, Laurè still laughed at the memory, the clear sound cutting through the silence of the night. Perhaps she should have warned Galadriel of the fact that she was raising her friend's husband to be, but it had turned out better than she could possibly have imagined. Celeborn's courtship of Galadriel had been relentless, and very subtle, clouding the she-elf's consciousness with thoughts of him almost every waking hour. With help from Laurè, he had endeavoured to be everywhere she looked, and had managed not to go out of his way to talk with her or even look at her. The tables had been turned on Galadriel quite spectacularly, with her seeking out his company whenever she could, just for the joy of being in his presence. Although, the day Laurè had taken her out riding and they had come across a shirtless Celeborn wrestling with some of his companions, Galadriel had had to be led gently away for fear of making a complete fool of herself, almost drooling over the sight of his bare chest.
And of course, Laurè had found herself in the middle of this blossoming love, being the close friend of one, and the foster-mother of the other. Both sought her out to ask her advice, and neither thought that the other might be doing so, confiding their deepest feelings and worries to the one who had spent twenty years making sure it would come to this. She had helped Celeborn with his seduction of Galadriel, and had showed Galadriel to appreciate him as a whole, rather than a thing of beauty to be lusted after. Soon, they had begun spending almost all their time together, and it was known throughout Lindon that they were in love, even if they had not yet admitted it to one another.
Unfortunately, their growing attachment to one another left them little time for their friends, and Laurè now unashamedly admitted that those first years of their commitment had been the loneliest of her life. She had not been able to bring herself to leave them during that time, and yet, she had no other friends who were even half as close to her as the two she had brought together. As they found joy in one another's company, they seemed to abandon her, leaving her to amuse herself, and in such times, her thoughts always turned to the years ahead of them, and the work she had to do to accomplish it. Whereas before, she had always had Galadriel to brighten her thoughts, or Celeborn to talk with, now she had had only herself, and she had always been prone to pathetic phases of self-pity. The discussion with Celeborn about love had often come into her mind, and she had found herself resenting them slightly for the adoration they shared. But even this was not enough to dampen her spirits when she learned of exactly how close they had become …
Laurè looked up from the springy ash branch she was moulding into a bow, seeing the prince pacing up and down just a few yards from her. He bore an expression of acute nerves, and she wondered what could be going through his mind to make him so agitated. Seeing her attention was now on him, Celeborn stopped pacing and approached her, sitting down beside her as he had always done, his eyes open and honest.
'What can I do for you, your highness?' she asked him, laughing at the grimace she received for using his formal title.
'Don't call me that, Laurè,' he chided her. 'You're my friend, almost a mother to me, and I won't have you bring yourself down because of my title.'
He watched her grinning at him for a moment, and scowled good-naturedly.
'Don't tease me,' he protested. 'You know I can't stand it.'
She smiled at him, part of her wanting to continue the teasing, but relented when she saw that he wanted to speak with her about something that seemed important to him.
'What is it, Celeborn?' she asked, laying down the half-finished bow to give him her full attention.
He shifted uneasily, absently playing with the ash shavings that littered the ground at her feet.
'You know how much I love Galadriel,' he began, staring at the ground as she listened attentively.
'Have you told her yet?' Laurè asked.
Celeborn grimaced awkwardly.
'Well, no, not exactly,' he admitted. 'Not in so many words. But I do so want to tell her, to make her mine for the rest of our lives.'
Laurè laughed faintly.
'As far as I know, no one has ever managed to make Galadriel do anything,' she warned him, and watched as he hurriedly swallowed his words.
'I don't mean make her, but …' he trailed off, lost. 'You've made me lose my thread now.'
Her smile was still teasing as she looked at him.
'I'm sure you can pick it up again,' she told him. 'You want to tell her you love her?'
His face lit up.
'Yes, and I want to do it at the perfect moment,' he said. 'The only problem is, I don't know what the perfect moment would be, and I thought … well … you're a woman …'
'I'm glad you noticed,' she said dryly.
Celeborn gave her a look of exasperation.
'Help,' he pleaded softly, almost shyly.
Laurè smiled turned gentle as she looked at him, gazing up at her with the most desperate expression she had ever seen on his handsome face. Taking his hand in hers, she leant forward, determined not to interfere too much.
'Where do you spend most of your time with her?' she asked him.
Celeborn didn't even have to think too long to give her an answer.
'The border of the wood, by the lake,' he told her.
'Why?'
This question made him think a little harder before answering, but it seemed worth it.
'Because it is the most beautiful place in Lindon,' he said softly, his eyes distant, no doubt recalling the many hours he had spent there with the woman he loved. 'When the sun sets, it casts golden light across the water, and that reflects up and onto the trees around us. When I look at her in that light, I cannot imagine a more wonderful place to be in all the world, and thanks to you, that's saying a lot.'
Laurè smiled, hearing his love of the place in his voice.
'Don't you think that is the perfect place?' she asked. 'And the perfect time?'
He stared at her for a moment before allowing his lips to quirk in a sheepish smile.
'Yes, I suppose,' he said thoughtfully. 'But how can I work up the courage to tell her?'
'I think you'll find it comes more easily than you think,' Laurè told him gently. 'Just let your heart tell you when. I don't think it will lead you far astray.'
His smile deepened as he thought about it, and he looked up at her with grateful eyes, rising to embrace her.
'Thank you,' he murmured. 'I don't know what I did to deserve so good a friend, but I won't let you down, Laure, I swear.'
She grinned.
'See that you don't,' she said teasingly. 'The last thing I need is for you to come back and tell me all about your broken heart.'
He laughed with her then, buoyed up by her apparent certainty that he could not go wrong. They were interrupted by soft footsteps as Galadriel approached.
'Oh, I'm sorry,' she apologised, trying not to let her wide smile linger with Celeborn. 'I'll come back when you're free, Laurè.'
Still smiling with a mixture of happiness at Laurè's words and joy at seeing Galadriel, Celeborn stopped her, rising with a final look of gratitude to their friend.
'No, please stay,' he called to her, waiting until she had returned to the little clearing before continuing. 'I was about to leave anyway.'
Galadriel's face fell slightly, but soon brightened as he took her hands. Laurè carefully turned away, tuning her ears out so that she didn't intrude upon what was obviously a tender moment. From the corner of her eye, she saw Galadriel smile and nod, and the gentle kiss Celeborn placed on her cheek before leaving her to take a seat beside her friend. She turned back, and swallowed a smile at the love struck look on her friend's face.
'So, what brings you to my side?' she asked lightly. 'I'd have thought you would have forgotten what I look like by now.'
The look of guilt that crossed Galadriel's face made her regret her light words.
'I didn't mean it like that,' she began, but was cut off by her friend.
'I know you didn't, but you're right,' she said. 'I'm sorry, Laurè, I haven't meant to ignore you, but …'
Laurè gave her an understanding smile.
'I know,' she said gently, 'the call of the handsome Celeborn is too strong to resist.'
Galadriel gave her a quick grin.
'That's no excuse for abandoning your friends,' she insisted, obviously berating herself inwardly for not noticing her friend's loneliness. 'I shouldn't have forgotten you. It's just, you know, you're always here if I need you, so I guess I haven't been as friendly as I could have been.'
'It's alright, Ri, I understand,' Laurè assured. 'You have other things on your mind right now. Enjoy it while it lasts, I might be off soon in any case.'
Galadriel frowned in curiosity.
'Why?' she asked. 'What's happened?'
Laurè shrugged.
'These reports of a stranger in Eregion,' she told her thoughtfully. 'I don't know, I've just got the feeling I need to see him for myself. It's something that I can't remember, so I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing.'
Galadriel nodded, understanding if not happy about her friend's announcement.
'You're not going for a while, though, are you?' she asked. 'Only I think I'm going to need you here for a couple of weeks, at least.'
'What makes you think that?' Laurè asked her, suppressing her own worries to give her friend her full attention.
Galadriel looked away, down at her feet for a moment, before raising her eyes once more.
'I think I'm in love,' she said softly, her eyes shining. 'Really, truly in love. It's not like anything I've ever felt before, Laurè. It's strong and deep; I can't think of anything but him.'
Laurè didn't need to ask who he was, knowing it better than Galadriel herself.
'And?' she prompted, wanting to know what her friend was going to do about it.
Galadriel gave her an abashed smile.
'I want to tell him,' she said. 'I want him to know how much I love him, but … it never seems the right time to say it. I mean, he's just asked me to meet him by the lake at sunset, but what if it ends up in an awkward silence, like all the other times I've tried to tell him?'
Laurè smiled to herself, a secretive expression that was lost on her companion.
'Somehow, I don't think it will,' she told her. 'Just let it happen, Ri. Everything else will fall into place, I suspect.'
Galadriel looked sceptical.
'You think?' she asked. 'After all, I'm not exactly well-versed in affection, am I?'
Laurè laughed, knowing all too well how uncomfortable her friend had always been with affection.
'I know you can do affection, Ri,' she said firmly. 'And I'm fairly certain you haven't been shy with Celeborn, if the look of constant surprise on his face is anything to go by.'
Galadriel had the decency to look embarrassed.
'Okay, you've got me there,' she admitted. 'I dunno, I guess I'm just nervous. What if he rejects me?'
Laurè let herself smile.
'Trust me, that's the one thing he won't do,' she assured her friend. 'No more buts, mind, let things happen.'
Galadriel sighed softly, allowing a small smile to break across her face.
'Are you sure you can't remember anything to do with this?' she asked curiously.
Laurè put on a face of shock.
'Would I do a thing like that?' she gasped, careful not to lie to her friend.
Galadriel watched her for a moment, and her smile deepened,
'No, I suppose not,' she laughed, rising to her feet. 'I should probably go and make myself lovely for Celeborn.'
'Mmmm,' Laurè agreed, picking up her half-finished bow. 'And I suppose I should finish this. Knock his socks off.'
Laughing, Galadriel left her to it. Laurè went back to her bow, smiling to herself over the intrigues of love. That was one problem she would never have, she thought, at least at the way things were going.