Reviewers:
Gina: Yeah! You read it! Congratulots! I'll yell at Mandy to return the books somehow. (I'll try and get them to you before the end of summer, Gina! Hey, at least I'm promising that I will eventually return them!)
BlackRoseOrchid/Poison: Thanks for the info. I tried for a good title, but I couldn't remember what it was I wanted. Yes, Nickel (me) is leaving, cuz I have plans, big plans! You won't see me for a while with the action, though I can promise glimpses. This is the last chapter in which I am present for more that a few paragraphs. I'll be back, though, this I can promise. And with me shall come the plot! (Yes, there is a plot...it's pretty good too, if I may say so myself!)
Just Me: I got the review thanx to review alert, but I think FF.n is ill, cuz it didn't put it up . . . yet. anyways . . . And yes I can just leave like that. poor Mandy suffers and should get better without me. Don't wory, like I told BlackRoseOrchid, I will return. MwaHAhaHA!
Reviewers, we will have a gift for you next time we post! We wanted to do it this time, but Nicole forgot to put down the website and she and I are going to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels so I have no way to contact her at the present time. Perhaps after you read and review you could check it out. It is suppossed worth it. If it doesn't work, I'll give it next chapter and you get German chocolate cookies - but only if it doesn't work.
Disclaimer: Do not own it! Do not own it! Okay, okay! You happy now? I've confessed! I (we) don't own it! AAAAAAAHHH! What do you mean we don't own it? I thought I owned it. Are all my dreams to be shattered!
And Then There Were Two
Kelsey's PoV
"Kelsey, this isn't going to work."
"So?"
"So! Kelsey I'm about to fall, and I'm only trying to stand!" Mandy wobbled, her arms held out to balance herself.
I placed my hands on my hips. "Do you want to come with the Fellowship?"
"Yes!"
"Then be quiet!"
I let her grab my arm to steady herself before we continued down to the meeting place Aragorn had shown us the night before after leaving Nicole to water trees. We hobbled down to the docks where the guys were packing up for the rest of the trip.
"Oh yeah . . .you can just ride in the boat for a while." I said brightly, trying to skip.
"Uh . . . Kelsey?"
"Yeah?"
We're-" We walked off the dock and into the water.
I rose, spluttering to the surface. "Legolas! Come help your girlfriend. She's got a heavy leg brace on!" I climbed out, leaving Amanda to Legolas.
Haldir came over with a blanket. "Here, my lady, take this."
If it had been anyone else, I would have snapped his head off, but . . . well . . . you fill in the blanks.
Mandy's PoV
"I refuse, utterly refuse, to wish her well," Legolas announced to me once I was out of the water and tightly wrapped in a cloak (curtesy of Legolas).
"But Leggy . . ."
"Notice, Lady Amanda, that she did not wish the Fellowship well, let alone you or Lady Kelsey–"
"That's just because she doesn't need to. She knows how everything–"
"Shut up, Mandy!" Kelsey yelled grumpily from her boat with Gimli. I don't see why she was so grumpy . . . okay, I know why, but Leggy had put me in his boat so, oh, well – no use crying over something I was happy about.
"Oops." The Fellowship wasn't supposed to know that. "Uh . . . nothing, just . . . Math!" I yelled this last word as the idea exploded from my mind. "She's really good at Algebra and–"
"I see." Legolas looked a little seasick. Perhaps it was the thought of Math . . .
"Uh . . . problem people!" Kelsey yelled. "I don't' know how to work this freaky boat! Any other boat, and I'd be fine, but this one is unstable! Not good! Aaahh!" Kelsey's boat turned, and she immediately began protesting the unfairness of having someone so hopeless at boats as Gimli with her. "I demand Mandy be in my boat! She at least won't tip the thing and Mandy can provide interesting conversation!"
I looked at her pleadingly. Why should I be separated from my Legolas? Why? But alas, it was not for us to choose. Aragorn paddled back a bit with the other boats and stopped at the bank.
"Would you get yourselves organized?" Boromir had to add his two cents. "Why are the ladies with us? They should remain within the safety of the Wood!" He shuddered at the thought of it himself.
"Hey, look, buddy!" Kelsey ordered. "No place is safe! I'm tired of your sexist 'Oh, I'm so high-and-mighty, listen to me' statements! You think you're so much better than everyone else, but believe you me,you're NOT! So now, if you'd please SHUT UP, it would be very much appreciated! Dingbat . . ." She subsided to mumbling.
"Kelsey and I can handle the boat," I told them. "It's not like we haven't any experience!"
"You don't have any, Mandy."
"Lady Nicole! Lady Lisa!" Legolas groaned.
Nicole and Lisa stood on a large boat sailing toward us. "Mrs. Galadriel is to treat us to lunch and I just finished Pride and Prejudice. I gave it to some elf. She looked confused . . ." Nicole waved and retreated, perhaps to get the food . . . at least, I hoped so. Nobody had thought to give me breakfast. Lisa smiled and waved at us all until we landed on the tongue – well, that's what they called the little peninsula thing. What was odd was that Nickel was being nice today. Mood swings . . .
Galadriel and Celeborn sat in chairs, but we got to picnic on the ground. The only thing that would have made it better is if Legolas and Nicole would've stopped eyeing each other evilly. All in all, by the time Galadriel got along to giving gifts, I was stuffed.
"Turkey!" Nicole poked me. "Turkey!"
Galadriel stood up.
"Here is the gift of Celeborn and Galadriel to the leader of your Company," she said to Aragorn, and she gave him a sheath that had been made to fit his sword. Very shiny. "The blade that is drawn from this sheath shall not be stained or broken even in defeat," she said. "But is there aught else that you desire of me at our parting? For darkness will flow between us, and it may be that we shall not meet again, unless it be far hence upon a road that has no returning."
And Aragorn answered: "Lady, you know all my desire, and long held in keeping the only treasure that I seek. Yet it is not yours to give me, even if you would; and only through darkness shall I come to it."
"Yet maybe this will lighten your heart," said Galadriel; "for it was left in my care to be given to you, should you pass through this land." Then she lifted from her lap a great stone of clear green, set in a silver brooch that was wrought in the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings; and as she held it up the gem flashed like the sun shining through the leaves of spring. "This stone I gave to Celebrian my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope, In this hour take the name that was foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of the house of Elendil!"
Then Aragorn took the stone and pinned the brooch upon his breast, and those who saw him wondered; for they had not marked before how tall and kingly he stood, and it seemed to them that many years of toil had fallen from his shoulders. "For the gifts that you have given me I thank you," he said, "O Lady of Lorien of whom were sprung Celebrian and Arwen Evenstar. What praise could I say more?"
"Whoa, there!" Nicole shouted as she interrupted the beautiful dialogue, (A/N: Kelsey: Yes. Very beautiful dialogue!) "Getting a little graphic there!"(A/N: Nickel. It was a little graphic. And I wouldn't say that they sprung from each other. That just sounds a bit like leap frog.).
"Would you shut up, Nickel!" Kelsey demanded. Galadriel glared at Nicole. I decided to ignore her and packed up the last of the food as Galadriel handed out three very shiny belts to Boromir, Merry and Pippin. Then she gave Legolas a bow, a box of dirt for Sam (and a bit of rope for the movie-fans), a few of her hairs to Gimli ( I swear, that guy is a stalker) (A/N:Nickel. Like Jack?) and a shiny phial to Frodo. Then she turned to the three of us.
"Lady Kelsey," Galadriel handed a necklace to Kelsey. Even I had to admire it. It was stunning: a thin mithril chain with a circular beryl (elf-stone) entwined with mithril wires attached at the end. "This is from your admirer, who asks you to not forget him." Kelsey nodded, blushing as her eyes teared up. Then Galadriel turned to Nicole and me.
"And what would ladies who walk alongside men want from the Elves of Lothlorien?"
"Well," Nicole frowned, thinking. "Give me a minute . . . wait! I'm not leaving! That's my gift to you!" Nicole hugged Galadriel, who began to shake with rage (think "Frodo and the Mirror" scene).
"And you?" Galadriel asked, fighting to keep her voice calm.
"There is something I've always wanted . . ." I began. I could just see Galadriel thinking that the thing I would need would be something related the Valentine's Dance, or the re-decorating of Lothlorien…
"What . . . do you want?" she asked calmly. I fought down a grin.
"I want to learn how to fight." There was a short silence broken by a couple snickers from Nicole and Kelsey. Galadriel herself snickered, then handed a dagger over to me.
"Practice with this," she ordered, handing it over to me. I lifted it from her hands and promptly dropped it.
"Hey! It's heavy!"
Kelsey's PoV
"Goodbye! Goodbye!" I called.
"And I do have boat experience! I canoe!" Mandy yelled defiantly.
"Then, what's an eddy?"
"Huh?"
Mandy was truly hopeless.
We set off without much in the way of complications – with the exception of Legolas's complaint concerning his travel partner (one Gimli son of Gloin) and Mandy's leg, which managed to injure itself further still when she attempted to stand. Mandy spent the first half of the first day complaining about her leg, her position, me, the weather, the speed of the boats, the view, me, her leg, how tired she was, how Nicole wasn't here, her leg, my lack of compassion for her leg, her leg, to name a few, and the second half of the first day (no surprise) complaining about how boring this was, the view, her leg, me, how she was hungry, me, her leg, the sunset, the noises, the speed of travel – see a pattern here? You get the idea.
"I'm bored," Mandy complained (shocker!) to the indifferent ears of the Fellowship and myself.
"You've said that seven hundred and sixty-two times, almost as many times as you've said, 'My leg hurts,' which you've said seven hundred and seventy times, Lady Amanda," Legolas informed her.
"How do you keep count like that?"
"The elves have good memories. I should think you know that, Lady Amanda."
"Oh . . . so how do you remember that?"
I shook my head at Mandy's confusion and continued paddling. There were times even I wondered at her lack of understanding and her complete blonde-ness. Of course, if she could think, it might help . . .
"I'm bored."
"Seven hundred and sixty-three."
"Aagh!"
"Kelsey, is something the matter?" Aragorn called back. I inadvertently remembered back to when I had a crush on him and how that relationship had turned into a father-daughter relationship. This, of course, led to other thoughts, such as the Haldir's look on his face when he saw us for the first time. I unconsciously fingered the beryl around my neck as I reluctantly pulled myself back to Earth, or rather, Middle-earth.
"I'm fine," I called before shaking my head as if to rid my mind of my thoughts.
"Hey, Legolas?" Mandy yelled. "Why don't you ever just call me Amanda or Mandy? I'm sick of being called 'Lady!' You heard Aragorn! He calls Kelsey by her name, WITHOUT 'Lady!' I wanna be called Amanda!"
"But Lady-"
"Stop!" I shook my head at Mandy. Now she was just looking for something to complain about, even if it was as stupid as being called 'Lady.'
My mind began to slip away again. I sincerely hoped elves didn't go insane, though, knowing Mandy, wherever she went, they would be driven beyond the reach of Elven sanity. What a thought. Wait, everyone is mentally unstable—even elves—though some are just better at hiding it. I grinned. Mandy was just what the elves needed.
"Kelsey! Is the boat supposed to be going backwards?" I frowned.
"Uh . . . no . . ."
"Oh, okay. Because it is." I shared a look with Mandy before we both began screaming.
"Aragorn!"
"Legolas!"
"Help!"
"The ladies seem to want to stop," Boromir drawled. "Shall we oblige them?"
"Hey! Would you shut up and help us you jerk!"
"We can stop whenever we like since we're not part of the Fellowship," I reminded them, feeling the need to correct even in the middle of our doom. "We're hitchhiking!"
"Kelsey!"
"Okay, we're hitchhiking, but we want to stay with you guys or we'll never get Mandy to safety."
"Hey, we're going forward now!"
Back in Lothlorien . . .
Nickel's PoV
"You should have gone with them, Nicole!"
"Why?"
"Well, you're bored, and you make me feel unliterate (inside joke) and–"
"I get the point. Don't worry. I'm leaving in a few days after I finish quilting this purse."
"Sure . . ."
The other night, Mandy, Kelsey and I were acting out scenes from the fic in Mandy's pool, and they did the dock thing. Kelsey and Mandy walked up to the pool and walked in just like the scene. It was soooooooooo funny! We did other scenes too, but you don't get to hear about those do you? NO!
'Twas very fun! Uh-huh! Well, it was fun, except that I forgot my favorite sunglasses!criesin a corner Well, at least that's a good excuse to get a new,cooler pair! Ooh! Maybe even TWO pairs! (I like my sunglasses, can you tell?) --The Editor
Hola, peeps! Hope you like it! Postin' more soon!
This is a long chapter. Creepy.
