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~ To the Gates of Doom ~
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While the captains of the free kingdoms took counsel with Gandalf and Aragorn, Elraen visited the hobbits in the Houses of Healing. There she found Legolas and Gimli with them, telling their tales from after the last parting in Westfold.
"Curious, isn't it," she said, "that Aragorn felt the ride of the Rohirrim too slow for the speed he needed? But after such a desperate and weary ride over all those leagues south of the White Mountains, Rohan still arrived hours before he did! But, I guess, the Paths of the Dead was where he must go regardless of speed, for the riding of the dead proved a great boon to the battle indeed."
At this point the remainder of the Company knew much of her doings through the days of attack and siege, for much had been reported through the knights of Imrahil and of Faramir, and from Pippin. But of herself she said very little here upon the greensward in the Houses of Healing. But Pippin was careful not to leave out her performance on the field in the days leading up to the siege.
"Master Peregrin is too generous with his praise," she replied. "I did naught but try to help keep the Lord Faramir alive as Gandalf asked, and would have failed utterly but for the intervention of Pippin here, and Gandalf, and Aragorn."
"Well, yes, I suppose that part's true enough," said Pippin. "It took many of us working together to save the good captain from the madness of his father, but twice now he would not have made it safely to the gate without your help."
To this she glanced at her companion with a subtle smile, and gave no reply, and gazed out at the grey haze over the mountains in the East. The companions then remained quiet, for Gandalf's words came back to them again, and now some foresight came even to Gimli's heart, and he thought that the princess might be one of the many things to be lost to change in days to come, but why or how he could not have said.
*.*.*
Two days later the host set forth. Gandalf had her ride up front alongside him and Aragorn and Imrahil, with cloak cast back and sword across her lap, so as to make a nice distracting show of the heirs of the Kingdoms in Exile heading up to declare battle together.
They continued the journey, and other winds started blowing in pleasantly cool from the north. She wondered at them, for they were no winds of hers at this point; like the others, she was just moving along and watching and waiting. The only winds that could be hers would be coming out of the west, for longing for her home grew stronger on her heart, and much of her thought reached out to it.
At last they reached the Black Gate, and she rode up to the door with the group, still in the same position among the group as during the journey from Minas Tirith, to witness the Mouth of Sauron. Her armor and garments shone radiantly even in the hazy light of the bleak plains. Though none noticed, about halfway through their encounter she was the only one not looking intently at the enemy's emissary. But not because she had any troubles paying attention to the opponent this time, rather she was focused elsewhere - gazing intently at the heights of the wall over the great gate and beyond.
A few minutes later they were retreating to their slag mounds as the forces of Orcs poured out from the gate and the flanking Easterlings spilled onto the fields all around them. Elraen donned her coif and helm, and her shield as they went.
In those few moments she sat upon Sunstreak by Gandalf atop the hill, as Aragorn and the others arranged the defenses. And into the wizard's mind came a small voice speaking softly. 'I bent my thought to him, while the emissary spoke with you,' it said. 'His heart is anxious, fearful, eager. I sense it from him. He still does not have it I think. A puzzle that is, but hope remains.'
The wizard looked at his comrade gazing grim yet calm upon the scene of foes as they spilled out over the space of boggy fields from nigh all directions; this powerful, ancient being, oldest and dearest of friends, clothed in the raiment of a lost little maiden among mortals. He of course had already guessed as much, from the clues gathered from the pile of garments and tokens presented by the messenger. But somehow at these few small words suddenly her power, majestic as the Mountain of Everlasting Snow in its terrifying splendor, seemed at last to rise and touch the surface of her little mortal spirit from deep within where it lay hidden, and shined with promise and comfort through the veil of her raiment. He had no reply, but amid his feelings of grief and defeat he found hope and was grateful.
And so the wizard now had fresh hope, and his thoughts bent again on both Frodo and Sam. 'Hurry! Hurry!' he cried out to them in his mind.
Meanwhile Elraen, who sat upon her horse with her sword across her lap, turned her thoughts back toward the battle. She dismounted Sunstreak, sword in hand, ready to go help their friends. Suddenly behind them they felt the sky darken.
"Wait, wait a moment!" called Gandalf. "The eagles are coming! The eagles are coming!"
Elraen looked up, and there they were: a massive fleet of the giant birds high above. They began diving at the hordes of foes before them.
But then suddenly Elraen saw that enemies everywhere were hesitating, their hearts burdened with a sudden wave of confusion and panic. She knew it could not just be them two, her and Gandalf, together there on the hill, or even the arrival of the eagles. Something had happened away behind the mountain fences, something had knocked the Enemy off guard, and the air shifted, and she could feel it. They all could.
She stopped, and watched. Gandalf called to their forces to stay their blades a moment. Now looking toward the Black Gate she saw the earth and mountains begin to shake, and the towers fell, and the iron gates crumbled. She held her breath in awe and waiting, and knowing, and a smile began to break on her face, and finally Gandalf announced that the Ringbearer had fulfilled his quest.
Soon the great black cloud issued forth from Barad-dur like a giant reaching hand. The good enchantress taking a deep breath dropped the sword and bringing forth her wand took a deep breath then gave a wide slow wave of her arm and a strong warm wind came out of the southwest and swept high over the mountain borders across Mordor, scattering the black dust to float off to anywhere and nowhere. At the sight of this the sound of cheer began to rise amid the good forces scattered about the plains as the bewitched Orcs became disoriented now released from their spell of thralldom.
The lord of the great eagles landed, and bowed low to them, and Gandalf taking Gwaihir and his eagles took off in search of Frodo. And so with her wand Elraen cast another wind, this time pushing southeastward directly at the backs of their wings.
Now at last seeing the Mortal Men among the enemy's allies continuing their fight, she picked up her sword and followed Aragorn into the fray and helped as she could, while keeping up the wind for the Eagles. At the sight of the tark king approaching with his witch at hand, many Orcs and trolls followed by many Men swiftly gave up any thought of continuing the fight, scattering in a panic, and the forces of Imrahil and Eomer pursued most of the rest still willing to fight.
*.*.*
And so when the ring bearers were at last ready to greet the king she was there upon the field standing by Prince Imrahil in her elven finery of Galadriel newly cleaned and shining, the Seal of Dol Amroth hanging from around her neck, and the beautiful pins of Galadriel in her now unbraided dark hair glinted in the bright morning sun. At the great feast she sat by Legolas and Gimli, and during their stay in Ithilien she would often be found wandering the lands with them.
Later, as preparations for the return to the White City were being made, at one point she and the wizard climbed up the hillsides to gaze westward as the sun sank in toward the horizon. 'Not much longer now,' the wizard heard a voice say in his mind.
He smiled, rejoicing at the thought of seeing his long lost homeland at last, but a joy tinged with a bittersweet melancholy, as Middle-earth had been his home for so long, and its peoples his family. 'No,' he replied. 'Not much longer at all.'