Chronicle 4
Nienna slipped into the trees of Lothlorien, glancing around for elves.
"Stay close, young hobbits. They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods," Gimli whispered, "an elf witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell, and never seen again."
Nienna glanced at Legolas, who smiled back.
"Frodo?" Sam's voice caught her attention and she looked round at Frodo. His face was screwed up as though he was concentrating.
Gimli's voice babbled on in the background, "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk, and the ears of a fox."
Suddenly, as though appearing from thin air, they were surrounded by elves. One of them stepped forward, "The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark."
Nienna smiled, recognising him immediately.
"Haldir ó Lorien. Henion aníron, boe ammen i dulu lín." Aragorn stepped forward, "Boe ammen veriad lín."
Pippin tugged on Nienna's sleeve and whispered, "Huh?"
Nienna smiled, "Roughly translated it means, 'Haldir of Lorien. We come here for help. We need your protection." She smiled and stepped forward, "Haldir, it is I; Nienna."
Haldir looked at her as though in shock, "Nienna…" Gimli's voice distracted him.
"Aragorn, these woods are perilous!" Gimli cried out with an arrow close to his face, "We should go back!"
"You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood." Haldir replied, "You cannot go back. Come. She is waiting."
"Nine there are here, yet ten there were set out from Rivendell." Celeborn smiled, "Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him."
Galadriel spoke before any of them could answer, "He has fallen into shadow. The quest stands upon the edge of a knife; stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all.
Yet hope remains when the company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace."
As Nienna looked into Galadriel's piercing blue eyes she felt another presence inside her own mind, talking to her, 'You are alone. You will always be alone and it will be your ruin, unless you learn to let go of your fear and place trust in others. You do not have to walk this path alone.'
"A lament for Gandalf." Legolas murmured as he walked down the steps.
"What do they say about him?" one of the fellowship asked.
"I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near." he replied, watching Nienna as she walked ahead.
"Nienna?" Haldir called out to her in the clearing.
"Haldir…" she turned to face him.
"Why are you…? Why did you come here?"
"I came as part of the Fellowship."
"I though you…" Haldir broke off, looking away.
"You thought I came for you." Nienna guessed the end of his sentence.
"Is that so bad to think?" Haldir stepped towards her, "I still love you." He placed his hand on her hip and pulled her to him.
"Haldir, I…" she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back firmly.
"What? Why do you push me away so? I know you still love me; why do you always push me away?"
"Don't blame this on me," Nienna replied angrily, "You left me."
"Because you couldn't-"
"Because I couldn't give you what you wanted," She cut him off.
"No, because you wouldn't. You could never stay with one person for long enough. You couldn't get close to anyone."
"Do you blame me? When everyone I've cared for has left me."
"So you left your family and friends out in the cold? How does that equate?" Haldir tried to study her, "I'm surprised you stayed in Ered Luin this long."
"I stayed because I had to; because my father was… is ill."
"And you're destined to be the future Queen," Haldir moved towards her again, "We could be together; I could be your King."
"I don't want to be Queen! I never wanted any of that. And I don't want…"
"You don't want what, Nienna? Go on, you can say it."
Nienna turned and walked to the edge of the clearing. She murmured something so quiet that he couldn't have heard it even if he was standing in front of her.
"I can't hear you. Say it…"
She spun to face him, "I don't want you! Are you satisfied! I don't want you."
"So what do you want!" he cried.
"I don't know!" she looked down and repeated it quietly, "I don't know."
"Well, maybe it's time you figured out what exactly it is you want, or you're going to be alone for the rest of time." He turned on his heel and left.
Nienna fought against the tears that threatened her cheeks and swallowed hard. She ran from the clearing.
"Lady Nienna?" Legolas stopped just behind her.
She smiled, "You know they don't call me that at home. At least my friends don't… my friends… my acquaintances."
"I'm sorry?"
"Lady Nienna. They say I am no lady. That I am a warrior princess."
She stared at her reflection in the water. She ripped a leaf up in her hand and threw it down, watching the reflection break.
"Nienna? Something troubles you?"
"Warrior princess. That's what they call me. Their hero," She turned to face him, "But I'm no hero. I couldn't even save Gandalf, and one day I won't be able to save myself. I'm always alone."
Legolas looked at her puzzled, "I don't understand."
"It's something Galadriel said," she sat, cross-legged; "It doesn't really matter."
Legolas sat beside her and looked out across the lake in silence.
After a while she spoke again, "So have I proven that I don't need you to protect me?"
Legolas smiled slightly, "Yes; that you have definitely proven."
Nienna sighed and opened her mouth to say something then thought better of it.
"Nienna?" Legolas murmured.
"She told me I was alone." She told him, "And she's right. I am alone. I'm alone in my pain, alone in my grief, alone in my suff… I am alone in everything."
"No, you are not alone. We are all here. I am here."
Nienna stood up, "It's late. I'm going to sleep. Sweet dreams Legolas."
"Sweet dreams, Lady Nienna," he murmured long after she'd walked away.
Nienna pulled herself into a boat behind Boromir and took up a paddle. Boromir turned to look at her, "I can do it."
She smiled, "Its okay. I want to." Boromir nodded and they set off.
She turned her head and saw Galadriel standing on the shoreline. 'Keep you eyes open, and fight the loneliness or all will fall.' She nodded and stared ahead.
As they sailed she looked at the beauty around, admiring the sights, the smells, the sounds… the sounds. She listened intently and a long finger of chills ran up her spine. She felt danger. It approached them even on the water. She looked at Legolas and he, too, scanned the shore.
Aragorn's voice pulled her out, "The Argonath. Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old, my kin." She smiled at him as the boats sailed past two large statues of armoured men, their left hands outstretched in a gesture of warding. On the other side they found mooring and beached the boats.
"We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats and continue on foot." Aragorn told them as he climbed out, "We approach Mordor from the north."
"Oh yes?" Gimli replied, still seated in his boat, "Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil, an impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks. And after that it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands as far as the eye can see."
Nienna caught Merry and Pippin's horrified looks and smiled. Then as Aragorn spoke again she was filled with dread and a sense of danger. Once again she could see that Legolas felt the same.
"We should leave now," he told Aragorn out of earshot of everyone but Nienna.
"No. The Orcs patrol the eastern shores. We must wait for cover of darkness." Aragorn replied.
"It is not the eastern shore that worries me," Legolas said, "A shadow and a threat have been growing in my mind. Something draws near, I can feel it."
Merry's voice sounded out above the rest, "Where's Frodo?"
Nienna looked around, "Where's Boromir?" She and Aragorn looked at each other and sprang off into the woods.
Nienna dropped from a tree to the ground, scanning for any sign of Frodo or Boromir.
"Anything?" Legolas asked.
She shook her head, "Where could they be?"
Aragorn's voice rang out across the forest, "Run! Run!" It was followed quickly by Sam's voice, "Mr Frodo!"
Nienna looked at Legolas and they sprinted towards the sound. She collided with Gimli halfway there. "Come on!" Legolas called back.
When they reached the platform, they found Aragorn battling Uruk-Hai. Nienna stopped, "I thought these died centuries ago."
"Well, obviously they didn't," Gimli told her, "now get fighting!"
She pulled out her sword and plunged it deep into the nearest ones stomach. She fought them one-by-one until she heard Legolas' voice, "Aragorn, go!" She turned and ran down the hill to find Frodo and the other hobbits.
She skidded to a stop when she heard the horn blare out. "The Horn of Gondor!" she exclaimed and turn towards it.
She reached Boromir in time to see Aragorn crouched over his dying body. "Forgive me. I did not see. I have failed you all." Boromir murmured.
"No, Boromir. You fought bravely. You've kept your honour." Aragorn replied.
Nienna felt the tears fill in her eyes as he tried to remove an arrow.
"Leave it." Boromir told him, "It's over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness and my city to ruin."
"I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you, I will not let the white city fall, nor our people fail."
"Our people. Our people."
Cálena stifled a sob as Aragorn placed Boromir's sword in his hand, not wanting to break the moment. He would die in peace. She heard Boromir's last words, the words that would echo in her head forever, "I would have followed you my brother, my captain… my king."
"Hîdh ab 'wanath." She murmured to him as his spirit left the world.
Cálena watched Boromir's body go over the fall as Legolas pulled a boat into the water, saying, "Hurry! Sam and Frodo have reached the eastern shore!"
Cálena looked at Aragorn and Legolas said the words she was thinking, "You mean not to follow them."
"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." He told them.
"And what of Merry and Pippin? Do we leave them to die?" Cálena asked.
"Then it has all been in vain," Gimli said, "The Fellowship has failed."
Aragorn placed a hand on his shoulder, "Not if we hold true to each other." He looked at Cálena, "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not will we have strength left."
"Leave all that can be spared behind, we travel light. Let's hunt some Orc!"
Cálena smiled and ran off, with Gimli's exalted cheer spurring her onwards.