The soldiers returned a few minutes after Katie left her room. She heard the commotion and went to see what was going on.
The stableyard was full of horsemen milling about and greeting their friends. Katie caught sight of Legolas in the crowd and slipped over to him, plucking his sleeve.
"Where are Elladan and Elrohir?" she asked.
"I do not know," he answered, then took a good look at her. She was standing on tiptoe, craning her neck to try and see her friends. There was more color in her cheeks than before, and her eyes were alight with excitement.
"You look well," he told her in surprise.
She stopped searching for a moment to smile at him. "I feel well," she answered. "I slept really well last night."
"Here!" Legolas caught the arm of a passing soldier. "Where are the brethren Elladan and Elrohir?"
"They did not return with us," the man said. "We found a small troop of orcs, but Elladan and Elrohir believed there were more, and then went off to track them." He paused. "Are they not here?" Legolas shook his head. The man frowned. "They meant to be back earlier than we—we had yet the task of burying the dead." His expression cleared. "Ah well, I imagine they are just taking their time." He excused himself and went to stable his horse.
000
Everyone else seemed much of the same opinion. Elladan and Elrohir had been hunting orcs for time out of mind, and they were most likely making sure they had killed all of the foul creatures before returning to Lake Evendim.
Legolas was not the only one to note the change in Katie. The improvement in her mood was the talk of the King's house, and everyone was glad to see she was on the mend. She had been spotted playing with Sam and Rosie's younger children in the gardens; Frodo, Merry, and Pippin had taken her fishing on the shores of the lake; and she and Elanor had been given a short lesson on harping from one of the Elves who had accompanied Elladan and Elrohir from Rivendell.
Arwen only hoped the improvement would last. "It is likely she will have recurrences of depression," she said worriedly to Mistress Rose. "I only hope this will be more than a passing elevation of mood."
Rosie looked thoughtful. "She has fallen quiet a few times during the day, but seems to regain her cheer almost immediately. I think something great has happened to heal her spirit."
Arwen nodded. "I believe you are right. I do not know what it might be, but it seems to have done the trick." She paused. "And Katie is very resilient. My brothers have told me of the horrible things that have happened to her over the years that she has visited us. None of them held sway too long over her heart or her mind. She has been protected from great grief. Her name should be Joyous-heart—she is so much like her grandmother! I only hope Elladan and Elrohir will return soon; they know her better than I, and could judge her condition more accurately."
000
Arwen was pleased to find that when she asked Katie if she wanted her to sing her to sleep, Katie shook her head.
"No, thank you, my lady," she answered pleasantly. "I think I can go to sleep on my own now." Despite a few misgivings on the part of her friends, Katie slept the whole night through with no more than a mild nightmare. She had woken a little short of breath, but merely rolled over and went back to sleep.
The servants of the house stayed up late, hoping to serve the lords of Imladris when they returned to the King's house, but there was no sign of them that night. Nor, the next day. The King's household began to worry.
That night, some of the Elven bards played for the King's party beneath a canopy by the lake. The servants had lit a multitude of candles, and the lights reflected waveringly on the waters of the lake.
When the little gathering drew to a close, they all went back inside and said their goodnights in the entrance hall preparatory to departing for their own quarters.
A step was heard on the stone stairs outside and the doors swung open to reveal Elrohir in travel-stained clothing. He paused in surprise on the threshold, staring at the silent group of people before him.
Arwen darted over and gave him a hug, disregarding his travel-stained appearance. "Elrohir! I am so glad you are back! But where is Elladan?"
Elrohir's brow creased as if in pain. "I lost him," he said quietly, and they all noticed for the first time how pale he was, how exhausted, and how desperate his expression.
Arwen blinked up at him, confused.
"We split up to track two different groups of orcs, planning to meet at a rendezvous in a few hours," he explained, still speaking quietly in the silence as if she were the only person who was listening. "I waited at the rendezvous for two hours, and he never showed up. Then I followed him. I tracked him to a clearing where there were signs of a struggle. But no sign of Elladan could I find after that. Two days ago, I found his horse—dead, shot full of orc arrows. I cannot find Elladan, muinthel vuin," he said, his voice low with despair. "Arwen, man ceritham?"
Aragorn stepped forward, breaking the silence. "We must ride out and find him," he said decisively. His matter-of-factness seemed to break the spell over Elrohir, who nodded, gathering himself. "We will take a troop of soldiers early tomorrow morning, and I will go with you to track him."
"I as well," Legolas said, stepping forward.
Elrohir thanked them, and the room burst into activity. Rosie ushered her fascinated children to bed and the rest of the adults began giving orders to servants and making preparations.
Katie darted over to Elrohir, who still stood alone on the edge of the room.
His expression softened a little when he saw her. "Estel-oneth."
Her heart went out to him, but she said clearly, "Take me with you."
Elrohir looked grim. "I cannot, Katie," he said. "There are more orcs out there than we thought. It will be dangerous."
"I know," she answered calmly.
"Traveling with a troop of soldiers is no picnic," he continued. "You will be the only woman there."
She nodded again. "Yes, I know. Please, take me with you." When he looked about to protest again, she added, "You will need me, Elrohir."
He regarded her seriously, his lips pressed in an unhappy line. He put his hands on her shoulders. "If anything happened to you, Katie, I would never forgive myself," he said softly. Katie was silent, looking earnestly into his face. Finally he dropped his hands and shook his head. "Alright," he capitulated. "But you must promise me that you will stay out of the fighting as much as possible." Katie nodded solemnly. "Go, tell the staff that you will be going, and you will need supplies." She nodded and left, though she longed to hold him and make him forget the grief and fear that so lined his face.
He watched her go, cold fear dancing through his stomach. "I must be mad," he muttered.
000
The servants were very surprised when they heard that Katie was joining the troops, but they immediately jumped in to help her prepare. There were the usual preparations to see to—food and a horse, a blanket, a waterskin… And then there were the unusual preparations. One servant found Katie a pair of leggings that would fit her, some riding boots, a tunic, a belt, and a warm cloak. She herself packed a comb and some leather thongs to tie back her hair with.
She was worried she would not be able to go to sleep that night for nervousness, but she dropped off almost immediately.
000
Elrohir found Arwen in the kitchens, making sure that provisions had been prepared for the search party. "There are extra portions here," she pointed out.
"Katie is coming along."
"Katie?" Aragorn exclaimed, having just walked into the conversation. "She cannot come! It is far too dangerous. And a single woman with a party of men—"
"I told her all that. She wants to come anyway."
"It is madness!" Arwen exclaimed. "You would let her do this?"
"She is convinced that she will be needed in the search, and I am not so sure that she is wrong," Elrohir said slowly. "Think of all the strange and dangerous things she has been involved in before when she was sent to us! If she feels so strongly about this, I do not wish to gainsay her."
Aragorn nodded, but Arwen look unconvinced. Elrohir was deeply worried about his brother; he did not wish to argue with his sister, too. So he changed the subject. "Is there any improvement in Katie? Do you think she will suffer from the war horrors?"
Arwen shrugged. "She has improved almost miraculously in the past two days, but I do not know if it will last."
"The past two days?"
Arwen nodded. "She woke up two days ago looking as healthy and cheerful as she was when I knew her before. She has not needed help getting to sleep since. We are all greatly relieved, but quite mystified."
"I hope that means she will be well," Elrohir said heavily, shaking his head. "I hope Elladan may be, too."
Aragorn embraced his foster-brother warmly. "I am sure he will be," he said with a confidence he was far from feeling.
TBC
AN:
Arwen, man ceritham?: Arwen, what are we going to do? Thanks to dreamingfifi for the fabulous and fast Sindarin translation!
In answer to your questions, if you haven't guessed who the silver-haired elf-woman was in the dream, you'll find out eventually. :) You know you love me.
Darkened Dreams: lol Yeah, we're seeing a lot more of concerned!Elrohir this time around! Sam was indeed originally Samwise Gamgee. But apparently he changed his name after the War of the Ring, because all of his children have the surname Gardner.
Lady Dragon Jammchra: Yeah, I conceived "war horror" or "war terror" as a Middle-earth term for post-traumatic stress disorder. lol I do love writing cliffies…
Contia Mirian: Yeah, that really does fit! I do that, too. There's all these songs that I get to a certain line, and I'm like, The Elves would love this!