To Become a Ranger
Chapter 12
Keep Your Faith
"To a Well Organized Mind, Death is the Next Great Adventure"
It was a cold grey day near the end of December. The east wind was streaming through the bare branches of the trees, and seething in dark pines on the hills. Ragged clouds were hurrying over head, dark and low. As the cheerless shadows of the early evening began to fall the company made ready to set out. They were to start as dusk, for lord Elrond counseled them to journey under the cover of night as often as they could, until they where far from Rivendale.
Alyssa stood on her balcony her hands clasped behind her back facing the cool grey sunset, clad in only dark brown pants and her large grey tunic. Her long dark hair only half pulled back in a few braids, whipped about her face in the cold December wind. One would think she was watching the sunset, but in truth her eyes where pointed deep inside her mind trying desperately to calm and organize for her next journey. She knew she wasn't ready yet, yet here she was being thrown yet again into another situation, yet this time a lot less forcefully.
She herd someone knock at the door yet didn't answer, she really just wanted to be left alone; who ever it was, after a second knock decided to just come in.
She heard the person sigh and walk towards her, their skirts brushing the floor lightly.
Ah, so it was Arwen.
(AN: this whole conversation takes place in the Elven language.)
"It is useless for me to ask you not to go is it not." Asked Arwen resting her chin on Alyssa's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her waist in a sisterly fashion.
"Indeed it is." Alyssa answered leaning her head against Arwen and clasping the ladys dainty little hands in her own.
They stood there like that for a few moments just accepting each others company.
Alyssa sighed and turned around to face Arwen, her sister's hands still in her own.
"You are troubled." Was all she said.
Arwen looked down at the floor before looking up tears in her eyes. "Ada has asked me to go to the grey havens, so has Estel and my brothers who will be leaving on the last ship with the rest of the guard from both Rivendale and Lothlorien."
"Do you wish to go?" asked Alyssa quietly.
Arwen looked away out the window not really sure what to answer.
"What does your heart tell you?" Alyssa tried again.
"No. not to go but to stay here and wait till you and Estel come back." She answered tears streaming down her face.
Alyssa nodded and looked down. "You do know that both Aragorn and I will be changed and that nothing will ever be the same again."
"I know."
"Then I will not even bother to try and tell you to leave with your family for I can not change your heart, nor do I really want you to leave either for you have become the best friend I could have ever asked for."
Arwen smiled a big watery smile at Alyssa and sniffed a bit.
"And if this helps you any, then you will see your family in death for all life must die, even if it does take a disturbingly long time. It's the circle of life."
"Thank you," whispered Arwen before grabbing Alyssa into a big hug.
"You're the best friend I could have ever asked for; I will be here waiting for you and Estel, you can count on it."
They broke the hug and wiped away a few tears on their faces.
"Oh!" exclaimed Alyssa, "I have something for you that might help." She smiled and then took off long neck lace that was tucked under her shirt and carefully handed it over to Arwen.
Arwen took it carefully and looked at it. It was an elegantly pewter carved Celtic cross with a beautiful red and orange gem in the centre. The chain was also silver a fairly thick with a smaller daintier chain running through it.
Arwen tapped the gem lightly, it was peculiar, something she had never seen before and she had seen many beautiful gems in her long lifetime.
Alyssa smiled slightly. "It's a Heather Gem, a weed that is pressed together for a long period of time and then a chemical is added to bring out the colors which can range from purples to greens and then polished. There really quite beautiful.
"Its wonderful." said Arwen smiling.
"Yes but that not the only property, you notice how its warm, well that's because I'm alive and its master at the moment, but when I die it will go stone cold and then it will bond with you claiming you as its master until you pass it on and die."
Arwen nodded her head in understanding. "This will tell me if I should go to the Grey Havens or not."
"Yes. My great grandmother gave me this when I was 15. She told me that I was the only one worthy of it out of all her grandchildren and great grandchildren; she also told me that I would need it someday."
Alyssa furrowed her eyes in thought. "I wonder if she knew." She mused quietly to her self.
"Anyways it's yours now, keep it next your heart and pray it does not grow cold for both of our sakes."
"And if it does?" asked Arwen gravely.
"Go. I will meet you there in the next great adventure."
Alyssa smiled mysteriously and strode out of the room her bare feet padding softly on the floor leaving Arwen deep in thought.
"Yes" thought Arwen, she would pray for Alyssa and Estel and if they did happen to perish then she would meet them on the next great adventure.
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Alyssa smiled as she strode out of her room in search of some rations. She felt she had done the right thing, giving Arwen the choice on weather or not she should leave with some concrete information.
Alyssa sighed; she remembered when the cross had gone cold. It had been during her mid term exams in high school in her English one to be exact; luckily it had been her last one of the week so it was the only she hadn't done well on due to lack of concentration. When she told her mom about it everyone thought she was crazy and imaging things, but not three days later they had gotten a call from her grandmother saying that great grandma had passed away at the exact date and time of when the cross had gone cold. It was not a happy day in the Howald household.
Alyssa shook the depressing thoughts out of her head as She cam upon the kitchen where she found five happy hobbits conversing over a half pint of beer on what they should bring.
"I should bring rope," Sam was saying, "but I'm afraid I don't know where to put it for poor Bill is caring enough all ready and I can fit no more into my pack."
"Don't worry about it, Samwise Gamge, I assure you that at least one other will bring rope." Stated Bilbo over the rowdy song that Pippin and Merry had just started.
Alyssa laughed at the sight. Merry and Pippin where up swinging each other around making a mess with there beer, the chef after them with her ladle, and Bilbo and Sam trying to talk over the racket.
Alyssa saw Frodo sitting quietly in the corner stirring his own beer around slowly every so often taking a sip. She slid in next to him and the small table.
"How you holdin' up?" she asked.
Frodo sighed. "Well enough." He paused and Alyssa didn't press, she had a feeling that he wasn't finished speaking. He sighed again and looked at her, his big blue eyes where staring innocently up at her. "Is it always this hard to carry a burden so?"
Alyssa smiled sadly and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I find its always in the beginning and in the end that is the hardest as all you want to do is to just get rid of it but the only way to get rid of it is to keep your friends close, for if you don't I can guarantee you, you will fail." Alyssa smiled at him again but her eyes where grave. "Keep your faith Frodo, and don't let it get to you." She patted his cheek before getting up and collecting her rations.
Just before she left she turned around. "You boys do know we have all of an hour before we leave."
That sent four scrambling Halflings out the door leaving a chuckling Bilbo behind.
She gave a slight bow to Bilbo Baggins before she too made her own retreat to her bedroom to get packed and fully dressed for the long journey ahead.
AN: Well, that's chapter 12. Hope you all liked it, chapter 13 will be up soon and then the action will start.
Tootles,
Lyssa