Author's Note: Normally I don't put author's notes at the beginning of the chapter, but this time, I feel it is imperative. So before I begin, I must say this: thank you. Thank you to everyone and everyone whom over the past few months messaged me, reviewed, and/or put in an effort to keep in touch with me despite my lack of activity on . I was going through some very rough times, and yet a surprisingly large amount of you still reached out to make sure I was all right. And I'd be lying if I said that such compassion didn't go unnoticed; I don't think many of you realize it, but you all are truly what keeps this story going. I often lose my drive, but to know that there is an unquestionably solid crowd of readers that not only loves this story, but that also cares about me enough to ask how I am…well, I personally find that sort of compassion even more motivating.
So this chapter is for anyone who's kept in touch with my over these past few months, be it those who've sent me PM's to those who only sent a review; all of it means the world to me. So once again, thank you; for without you, there probably wouldn't be an update, or even a story to keep reading.
But now… on with the story!
"Our lives are made up of many moments. Do not let one of them define you."
Eina's hands slipped like birds from the sides of the mirror. They fluttered off, as if a terrible instinctive fear suggested that some biting predator might snap them up in its feral jaws should they dare linger any longer. Her dress whispered behind her as she ran, fleeing the glade with the grace of a fading echo. Galadriel remained as she was: motionless as she watched the girl flee. She made no move to stop Eina as she swiftly disappeared into the shadow of night. The Elf-Witch did, however, leave Eina with words of parting.
'You cannot escape from that which has already come to pass.'
Galadriel's words rang loudly in the mind of the younger. They were sharp and clear, like an icy breath taken after a fresh snowfall, only the air is so bitingly cold that it leaves the lungs haunted by its undeniably frozen sting. Inescapable. Painful. Harsh. But true.
Down the paths of Lothlórien she ran, the paved paths giving way to earthy trails, all the while becoming less and less illuminated by the ethereal orbs the further she ventured. This kept on until the lights of the city had vanished entirely, and her path was solely illuminated by the glow of the moon.
Eina was vaguely aware that she had long out-stepped the bounds of the city, but that was all right. That was what she wanted. That was what she needed right now. She needed to be alone so she could process all of this new information—no, new memories. Her chest jolted at the word…
It was there at the top of valley's ridge that she crumbled. Eina let out a sob, all while falling against the nearest tree. Its bark was rough, but she could not bring herself to care. Instead, she let herself slide down the side of tree, landing roughly as she finally slumped tot he ground. She moved so her back rested against the bark of the tree, the ever course bark still prodding away at her skin, her eyes stinging as they began to be overrun with tears.
She simply let them come. Soon, streams of tears were running down her cheeks, and her chest began to ache at such an extreme exertion of sorrow. In those moment while she sat there, Eina did not aspire to understand why, how, or anything of that sort. She simply wanted to grieve.
And not a single tear was for her, but for all of those she had so ruthlessly murdered accompanied by the guilt of knowing what she had done. While it was clear from what she had seen in the basin that she had been under the darkest of sorcery and had been acting far against her will, that did not stop Eina from knowing that it had been by her hand that so many innocent lives had been lost.
So she cried for them, so terrifyingly appalled at herself and overflowing with sorrow and grief that she simply could not contain it all. She cried until exhaustion won her over and she fell into a dreamless sleep, crystalline tears still dripping from her dark lashes as the night finally gave way to the red sky of morning.
"Ahem."
Eina awoke to the voice, blinking hard as they tried to pull the lingering sleep and dried tears from her eyes. After rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, Eina's gaze fell on a pair of brown boots that were now standing before her.
Her eyes flicked upwards. "Haldir," she acknowledged him quietly, her eyes quickly darting away from his ever-strict watch, "how did you come to find me?"
His answer was simple. "You are marked with shadow among a forest of light."
She could only respond with a quiet, "Oh," the tiny word fading off in a breath.
The Marchwarden's brow knitted together. She seemed so…dim compared to her previously—and in his prior opinion, almost overly—gregarious persona from the evening prior. He brushed the stray thoughts away, carrying on. "Nevertheless, Lady Galadriel requests your presence so as to fix this problem." As he spoke, Haldir extended her his hand.
Eina straightened slightly, feeling more of the course bark against her back. Her eyes glanced from his hand to his eyes—which, now that she looked, weren't as sharp of a green as she had originally imagined. She took his hand with a sense of tentative care. "She means to repair Gandalf's spell?" Eina asked quietly.
Haldir nodded, and then in a single move of controlled power and refinement, he pulled her up from the base of the tree. "Come." Without another word, he began to walk back to towards the city. But when he didn't hear her follow after them, he paused yet again, turning to see what was delaying her.
She had not moved from where she had risen, but her gaze had instead turned back over the valley. From their vantage point, the entirety of Caras Galadhon could be seen, along with its surrounding forests. The sun had finally broken out from the branches of the opposite, and it cast striking rays of gold across the entire valley. The city seemed to glow, welcoming the sun and its warmth against the cool autumn morning.
But what was odd were the stray tears that fell down her pale cheeks—he could've seen them normally with his superb vision, but the young light of the early morning sun had caused them to glisten even further—and a smile was teetering at the edge of her lips. It was a small gesture, but it was marked both by an aching sadness as well as true admiration of the sight before her. It was such an odd combination of expressions that for an instant, Haldir could only watch her, silently mesmerized as well as befuddled at her curious behavior.
Without warning, Eina spoke. "It is beautiful."
The Elf blinked at the sudden statement, watching one of the tears fall from her cheek and onto the amber leaves at her feet. Haldir then also let his gaze wander across the valley, soon finding his own shoulders relaxing at the sight. "It is." He replied, letting his eyes linger for a moment before returning to the female in front of him, his own thoughts starting to wander.
While Haldir had certainly not argued Galadriel when she had initially instructed him to welcome the Fellowship into their city, he couldn't deny his original apprehensions: bringing the One Ring among their forest was sure to endanger them all, but to welcome her, the Shadow Walker, among them as if she were a friend as well? Surely Lady Galadriel had her reasons—for she always did—but originally Haldir simply could not understand what good would come of such a welcoming.
But now… now he was beginning to understand. Or perhaps not even understand. Like those among in her company, Haldir was beginning to see this girl for who she truly was and the remarkably heavy burden she had been forced to carry. While, yes, the Frodo was quite literally carrying the fate of their world around his neck, Eina was dealing with years of lies, slander, and false accusations against her name. And despite being so tormented by all of these rumors, she never once, on her own conscious will, acted out against any of those who spoke ill of her. She was forever trying to be anything but all of these atrocious claims, but her efforts were always in vain, for who would trust someone so riddled with darkness?
In short, life had shown this young woman no mercy. Now that Haldir was alone with her, watching her with that odd expression of both joy and sorrow on her face, that he could see the truth quite plainly: all Eina wanted was for people to see her for who she truly was, and not for the dark magic that she had been plagued with. In the Marchwarden's eyes, that was a burden that was just as heavy as Frodo's.
Haldir then blinked, not realizing he had been so lost in thought. He then looked up and saw that Eina was still staring out across the valley. His brow knitted together again: just what was she thinking about? He then scoffed to himself; he could've asked himself the same thing not even seconds ago for all of his silent ponderings.
His eyes returned to Eina, choosing his next words carefully. "Do not be so burdened," her eyes turned slowly to his. They still shimmered with unshed tears, "for while such things can take a great deal of time, the truth will always have its day." One day people would see her for who was really was. Haldir was certain of it.
She then graced him with a small laugh, while trying to wipe the rest of her tears away. "One can only hope." Eina answered. Her appearance was disheveled, and her face was red from having pushed so many tears away. But with the early morning sun fully enveloping Eina in its warm glow, Haldir found himself adding one last comment.
"You are truly beautiful." Haldir meant every word. And not just in the physical way: she was beautiful down to the very roots of her soul. That was something he could now plainly see.
Eina's hand—which had been in the midst of preventing another tear from escaping—stopped midair. Coincidentally, the tear continued in its gentle trail from her shinning eye and down her cheek. But simultaneously, the smile on her face lost its sense of sorrow and turned entirely genuine.
It was to his comment—and the unsuspecting Marchwarden had most certainly not anticipated this—that Eina broke from her standstill, closed the distance between them, and enveloped him in a fierce hug.
For an instant Haldir froze. He could feel her fingers clutching the fabric of his cloak against his back, and he noticed that her head barely came up to his shoulders. Was she really this small? He then wanted to smack himself, but instead rolled his eyes; why had he ever doubted Lady Galadriel? This girl was truly as much of a wonder as she was a mystery.
To his own surprise, the Marchwarden relaxed and carefully—albeit, a bit awkwardly, for such close contact was rather foreign to the Elf, but regardless—he returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Eina's small shoulders. It was a sweet motion of comfort, one that Eina most desperately needed.
"You have the company of the Fellowship and the safeguard of the Lady of Light. All who trust you without question," he paused, but then dared to continue once again, "myself included." To his words, she clutched him tighter. Haldir's head unconsciously dipped down, his chin faintly brushing against her blue-black hair; it smelled of what he could only describe as night and lavender.
From amidst her face being buried in his shirt, she uttered a quite, "thank you."
"There is no need for thanks." He drew back, and then they released one another from the embrace. His hands, however, kept a safe hold on her shoulders. "Just know now that as long as you have the courage to trust in others, others will trust in you." She took a deep breath in, the act sending a wave of calm throughout her mind and body, before she nodded, still smiling up at him.
To this, the corners of the Marchwarden's lips turned upwards ever so slightly into the smallest of smiles. "Good," he affirmed, letting his hands fall from Eina's shoulders, "now, let us return to the city."And so the pair began their trek back. But this time as they walked, they journeyed side by side: two companions peacefully making their way silently beneath the golden trees of Lothlórien.
Their journey back into the haven was a pleasant one. The leaves were tumbling through the air around them, the wind a bit more lively than it had been the day before, but not so vigorous that either of them found it to be unpleasant. By the time they arrived back at Galadriel's glade, it was well into the morning.
Haldir stopped just a-top the steps. "Here we are." He proclaimed, then catching Eina's weary glance and tightened jaw. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Do not be afraid. Lady Galadriel only aspires to help you."
"I know, but the mirror… " His hand fell from her shoulder, "it showed me things…" Eina's eyes were now returning to the saddened fearful gaze in which he had first discovered her.
Haldir paused for an instant, the gears of his mind beginning to turn. He dared ask a question, but only out of clarification. "And what was it you saw?"
"A memory." She stopped there, but Haldir needn't she say more. Her ever returning look of guilt and sorrow were enough to answer any more of his lingering questions. Whatever it was she had seen had been far from pleasant, and most likely something she had certainly not anticipated.
Haldir sighed, and then gently grasped her shoulders, gently forcing her to face him with her painfully saddened eyes. "Regardless of whatever it was you saw, know this: our lives made up by many moments. Do not let one of them define you." Haldir cast a sudden glance over Eina's shoulder and into the glade. His hands then fell from her shoulders and he straightened, gesturing behind her. "The Lady awaits you."
Turning, Eina saw Lady Galadriel standing just as she had the night prior in the glade. From her perspective, if was as if the Elf-Witch had not even moved, perhaps not even breathed.
Eina made a move to turn. But for an instant, paused as more words played at the tip of tongue. But instead of speaking them, she sighed and made her turn to go.
"And Eina," Haldir said, causing her to look back at him, "we all have our monsters. But only when we conquer them may we truly move forward." With a final nod of parting, the Marchwarden then turned back down the path and disappeared around the bend, leaving a speechless Eina standing there in the wake of his words.
'How did he know?' She silently wondered.
'"Even if the memory was something horrible. Something monstrous?"' The voice of Lady Galadriel returned. 'How did he know those were the words you had prepared, but failed to speak?'
Eina's gaze turned to meet the blue eyes of Galadriel. Eina's brow furrowed, but Galadriel beat her to her impending comment. Her words were simple, and honest. 'It is not my place, nor my desire to speak for others. They must do their own bidding.' Eina's gaze turned a shade guilty, 'Just know that you often say far more than you speak young one. Now, let us repair Gandalf's spell.' To her final words, the Elf-Witch's eyes softened as she gestured Eina into the glade.
They met halfway, coming to stand at the very center of the now well-lit space. Eventually, the pair came to stop right before one another, and Galadriel wasting no time, brought her hand up before Eina. This time, however, the younger noticed something distinctly different between the two warlocks and their methods.
Galadriel's hand rose, but instead of going to her skull, stopped directly above Eina's heart. But before she could even pass half a breath to ask the Elf-Witch what she was doing, a surge of blindingly white magic erupted from Galadriel's hand, and old words of magic began to fly of the Elf-Witch's tongue.
To all of this, Eina's body instantly lurched. Her head rolled back, and her mouth was now slightly agape. Her eyes were wide as they pointed skyward, already entirely overrun with their familiar black hue.
The wind within the glade had instantly begun to whip around them. The longer the spell progressed, the more violent the wind became. Leaves lifted off the ground, and both blonde and black hair was now dancing among the raging gusts. Seconds passed, and then fingers of black and white lightning suddenly appeared around them, crackling and casting off angry purple sparks upon contact. Closer and closer to the pair the lighting magic raged, fighting one another furiously as the Elf-Witch continued to bellow out the spell. For a time, the fingers of lightning battled one another, Galadriel's voice continually rising in volume. In the midst of Galadriel's ancient words, a loud crack erupted, and the two magic's collided in one final blow.
But this time, the black magic abruptly disintegrated and was reduced to a pale purple dust that vanishing entirely before it even touching the ground. The remaining white magic recoiled, eventually coming to dance across Galadriel's outstretched arm, but never once touching or harming the Elf-Witch. With one last final command, the white magic shot down Galadriel's arm, between her outstretched fingers and straight into Eina's heart. The young woman lurched again as the last of the magic vanished within her chest. The instant the lighting vanished, the air stilled, and Eina toppled forward.
The spell was complete.
Galadriel, in her ever-present state of grace, swiftly caught the younger by the shoulders to keep Eina from falling to the ground. For a moment they stood, their foreheads touching, and clasping each other's arms as they recovered from the ordeal.
A bead of sweat had appeared on the Elf-Witch's brow; it had been centuries since she had been required to use such an extreme amount of magic to counter an even more overflowing flood of darkness. It had been taxing, but she had succeeded.
The Elf-Witch then looked to Eina as they stood unmoving in each other's hold; the younger's head was entirely bowed, her face concealed by her raven black hair and her breath was coming off in heavy pants. Galadriel could even feel the Eina trembling.
Galadriel pulled away slightly, keeping a firm grasp on Eina as she spoke. "How do you feel?"
With her breathing finally starting to slow, Eina raised her head and Galadriel was met, for the first time, with a pair of sparkling grey-blue eyes and a wide grin. "Light." The younger answered.
While Galadriel noticed that there was a thin black ring around Eina's newly restored eyes, she was still exceptionally pleased. "The spell has served its purpose and a proper balance of magic has been restored." The elder pulled them both upright and they released each other. "Now heed my words: while the spell has been repaired and rendered stronger than before, it too is not perfect. Like Gandalf's, this spell too may break, for a small fraction of darkness still lingers. I could not dispel it because it is a breed of darkness that only you can overcome." Galadriel once again looked at the black ring that hung about the girl's eyes.
Eina turned nervous. "How will I manage that? I am not even a shade as powerful as you or Gandalf."
To this, Galadriel smiled. "You underestimate yourself. In time, you will be reminded of just how strong you truly are. Henceforth, I implore you to practice your old skills."
"But how does one practice something they can't even remember?"
"While you may not remember, the magic will. Trust it. It will not lead you astray." The Lady paused momentarily, gliding back behind the now empty basin. "The repairing of the spell will also continue to reveal your old memories. Including those that even I cannot see." Eina's eyes turned wide to such a comment. "For now, I suggest you return to the Fellowship. They have been most worried about you."
Eina bit back the urge to press that matter further; she was painfully curious about many things the Lady had mentioned, but Eina knew she would get no further answers. So instead, she bowed most deeply to her elder, and bid her goodbyes. "Thank you Lady Galadriel. I only hope to not disappoint you."
The Elf-Witch smiled. "I have faith in you." With a final nod of parting, Galadriel watched the younger bow once more, before floating up the steps and out of the glade.
The instant Eina was out of sight, Celeborn appeared, gliding down the steps of the largest tree from which his wife had originally appeared. "'Including those that even I cannot see?'" He let out a quick chortle. "Why bother with such a lie? Nothing escapes your gaze."
Galadriel had turned and walked beside him. "Recalling Sarumon's possession of her alone was much for the girl to take in. To reveal all of her memories too quickly would prove to be unwise." The pair then turned to ascend back up the stairs to their private haven from which Celeborn had just appeared.
The Lord could only nod in agreement. "With all that has happened as of late, she teeters on the edge of crumbling entirely."
"And if we are to stand any chance at winning this war, I cannot permit such a thing to come to pass."
"You lied for her sake then." Celeborn stated plainly.
Galadriel nodded. "Even so, with the spell in place, she will still regain her memories on her own."
"How can you be so sure that she will not crumble then?" Celeborn stated, his tone hinted with muted concern. "You have already voiced that there are more tragedies that lie within her shrouded past. If one dark memory already has her teetering, then surly another shall only cause her to fall," the Lord sighed heavily, "and the war will be lost."
Galadriel held firm, "That is where I hold my faith in the Fellowship, and in her. She is far greater than she or anyone could ever dare to believe." The pair stopped, having arrived on a landing that rested just above the tops of the trees.
The Lady carried on, looking out over the vast forest. "The world is changed once more and it is all because of that girl. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. While much was lost to Kagome Higurashi, the time has come for it to be remembered. And when that time comes, she will rattle this world so that the very stars may tremble at her might."
After gingerly moseying her way along the trails, Eina found herself strolling back into the campsite. She stopped just at its entrance as she spoke. "Hello everyone! I apologize for running off last night. Lady Galadriel and I—" But that was as far as Eina got before she was bombarded by a pair of half-lings.
"We were all so worried!" Pippin said, hugging her waist.
"We were sure they'd tossed you out!" Merry added, attached to her other hip.
"Oh yes Merry, because Lady Galadriel would do that."
"You never know! She is an Elf-Witch."
"I don't think she would."
"Oh do you now?"
"Yes, actually, I do!"
While the two miscreants continued their banter, Gimili spoke up from place across the glade. "Welcome back lass." Aragorn was nearby, resting against the base of a tree and smoking from his pipe. He nodded to her, and she returned the gesture.
Merry and Pippin were still bantering back and forth. She couldn't help but laugh. "You two are relentless." This quieted them long enough for her to answer some of their rapid questions. "But, really, I'm fine. Lady Galadriel and I had some things to discuss and it ended up taking longer than anticipated. She also repaired Gandalf's spell."
"Is that so?" Merry added, finally detaching himself from her waist and looking up at her. Pippin instantly followed suit and then the both of them were standing juxtapose before her. She laughed, still amused at their ever-comical antics.
"I can tell. Can't you Pip?" Merry started.
"Yes; your skin isn't nearly as pale now." Pippin added.
"And your lips aren't blue."
"But your eyes are."
"Do you need to breathe yet?"
She halted them mid rant. "Wait a moment: my eyes are blue?"
"Yes, look!" Merry fetched a mirror from their sleeping place. "One of the Elves gave it to us to borrow. Here." he handed her the small silver hand mirror, looking at her reflection for what felt like the first time in ages.
The Half-lings had already hit most of the key features: her skin was still pale, but held a far livelier tone than it had before. Her lips even harbored a rosy tint and her eyes were, as Merry had pointed out, now a grey-blue with a faint, but distinct black ring around them. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the outer ring, soon narrowing in the sight of the blackness.
After a moment, she relinquished the mirror. "Thank you Merry." She then moved to fetch one of the spare pillows for herself. "But where are Frodo, Sam, Legolas, and Boromir?"
"Frodo asked Boromir if they could have another sword lesson and Sam asked to join, so they're off doing that." Pippin said, flopping down on his pillow.
"Frodo was quite eager, wouldn't you say?" Merry continued, quickly coming to drop down beside his friend.
"That he was. He seems to be taking quiet a liking to it."
"And Boromir is an excellent teacher."
Eina cut in. "And Legolas?"
She tossed her pillow between a pair of vacant tree roots. There was pause. That alone had her worried.
Merry dared to start, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he spoke. "Well, we don't know where he is."
"He hasn't been seen since last night." Pippin continued.
"What?" Eina asked. "Where has he gone?"
"Boromir scared him off." Gimili jumped in. Aragorn shot the Dwarf a stern glare. "Oh what, she's bound to find out eventually!" Aragorn rolled his eyes and took a heavy pull from his pipe while Gimili continued. "Anyway, your brother was still rather heated after you left and ended up having a bit of a go at the poor Elf."
"What do you mean?" Eina said, her tone suddenly shifting.
"It wasn't anything horrible. Legolas tried to follow you to apologize, but Boromir put his sword at the Elf's throat and promised to kill him should he dare go after you."
While the words that fell from Gimili's lips were remarkably nonchalant, the air in the campsite turned static with a new growing fury. Even the very wind stopped in its whirl and the birds silenced their chirping.
"Oh, she's angry." Merry murmured, pulling his pillow in front of him as if to shield himself from Eina's growing rage. The female in question had grown remarkably tense. Her fists were clenched at her sides and her eyes burned with the rage that belonged to of an infuriated younger sister.
"If you'll excuse me. I need to find my brother so I can throttle him into the next age." Her words were so cutthroat that the witnesses to her statement cringed. All of them were silently afraid for whatever reaming Boromir was surely about to receive as they watched begin to walk her way back across the campsite.
But she hardly took two steps before the man in question came waltzing back into the campsite with Frodo and Sam at his side, the three all chatting excitedly about defensive tactics.
"Oh dear." Pippin whispered as Merry tried to further hide behind his pillow.
"This is sure to be interesting." Gimili added, daring to sit up a bit further to watch the encounter.
Aragorn could only sigh, as Frodo began the scene by acknowledging their once-missing comrade's return.
"Eina," the Half-ling said excitedly, "you're back!" The Ring-Bearer's proclamation pulled his comrades' eyes to the female in question, who was now standing in the center of the campsite looking very much like an enraged bull that had its sights locked on a vibrant red flag.
Boromir—wholly unknowing of the horrors that awaited him—was the next comment. "My dear Eina!" He said joyously. "We were all so worried—" But the poor man had hardly taken two steps before his sister had closed the distance between them and had one of her fingers jabbing harshly against his chest.
Boromir had hardly enough time to gulp before she began to rant at him.
"Don't you 'dear Eina' me!" She seethed. "I am not a child, so please refrain from treating me as such, because I do not to a take kindly to you threatening our comrades and behaving like an overprotective older brother! Yes, thank you for caring; by for the love of Gondor, I'm quite old enough to handle myself! I've wandered the Wilds long enough and dealt with vagrants far worse than Legolas, in the past"—to this comment, every member of the audience raised an eyebrow, but dared not speak for fear of being her next target—"so I would greatly appreciate if you would stop acting like a mother hen and let me handle these situations on my own!"
With a final jab to his chest, Eina stormed off, her stature entirely that of a woman on a rampage, and leaving Boromir standing there in the middle of the campsite, looking quite like dog that had been kicked for no good reason. But after shaking himself out of the shock of having been hollered at, Boromir caught sight of Aragorn taking another long pull from his pipe.
The man walked over to his comrade, gesturing to the pipe, "Would you mind?"
Without any hesitation, the Ranger handled his pipe to Boromir, who followed suit in taking in an impressive amount of smoke before returning the pipe to its owner. Upon exhaling, the blonde man shook his head, dropping to the ground hopelessly. "Vagrants worse than Legolas…?" He muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Some questions are better left unanswered." Aragorn suggested simply before bringing the pipe to his teeth. Boromir could only nod while graciously taking in the looks of deep sympathy he was receiving from his fellow comrades as he tried to mend his wounded pride.
"If I were Legolas where would I hide?" Eina muttered after turning yet another bend down one of the seemingly endless paths of Lórien. She'd been wandering for some time, and had no luck in finding the Prince. That, and her initial fuming rage had seemed to clear out any other Elves as well, which left her entirely alone as she wandered about. However, her temper had also long since cooled, but having no one around to ask for help left her a bit befuddled as to what to do.
She let out an indignant huff, her eyebrows furrowing in slight agitation. "How does one even go about finding any Elf anyway? They all might as well be trees." Eina then placed one of her hands on a nearby tree, sighing.
But then a curious thing occurred. The tree did what Eina could only describe as hum. Only she felt it through her fingers. It was a gentle tremor; it was almost as if she was feeling the very life of the tree. For a moment all she could do was stare at her hand; there was absolutely nothing interesting physically happening where her hand was making contact with the tree. And yet, there was this hum! It was so peculiar…
"Trust the magic. It will not lead you astray…" Eina murmured, suddenly recalling the words Lady Galadriel had spoken to her that morning. "Here goes nothing…" Eina then sighed, furthering her focus, and asking a single question:
'Where is Legolas?'
Then an even more curious thing happened. Another hum appeared, but this one was different. It was a few leagues away, but immediately Eina noticed that it had—what she could only describe as—more depth than the tree. While this hum did breathe of life, it was admittedly more complex than the tree. This new hum was kind, but strong, wise but playful, and unquestionably Elf. How precisely she deduced that it was an Elf, she couldn't rightly say but she could simply feel that it was. And she didn't know as to why, but if she had to give it a color, it would have most certainly have been a brilliant forest green.
Eina then let her hand slip from the tree and began to follow off after this new hum, finding herself still clearly able to sense the new hum even after her touch feel from the tree. But after a few paces, she stopped, turned back, and placed her hand against the bark once again.
'Thank you.' She smiled; her hand then fell from the bark and she began to follow after the new hum the tree had so graciously shown her. And while she would not be there to see it happen, the following year, that same tree would grow a good deal taller than all the rest. It would be heartier, and produce more vibrant leaves than any of the other trees throughout the city; for kindness is something even those without eyes can still see.
This new hum pulled her down the paths, and entirely out of the city, much as her own feet had carried her last night, but for entirely separate purposes. The paved trails of Lórien had once again long since given way to the well worth dirt paths of the forest, wandering without fear, for as she knew that as long as she followed the hum, she would find what she was looking for.
So she carried on. The morning had since given way to the afternoon for the sun had already passed its peak and was once again beginning its decent back across the sky. Farther and farther she walked through the woods, following the hum all while feeling it grow steadily stronger with every step she took.
And then, she saw him. Legolas was high up in the brows of a tree, his back facing away from the city and his figure shrouded in the shadow of the great tree he had deemed his perch. And from the relaxed pose he sat in, she'd bet he was sleeping. For an instant, Eina wondered how on earth Legolas had even managed get so out of reach. 'He is an Elf, you twit. Scaling to such a height must be child's play for him.' Carefully she walked closer, her immense skills at stealth proving to come in a great deal of help when trying to sneak up on the Elf.
After what seemed ages—for the closer Eina stepped, the more care she took in her footing—Eina reached the base of the colossal tree. She easily would've needed the help of three other people just to fully surround the base of the monstrous plant. Her neck then craned upwards, seeing locks of blonde hair drifting out over the edge of large branch above her.
She could be devious and shout up at him…and potentially knock him off the branch and hope his Elvin reflexes would be quick enough to save him before he crashed into the earth below. Or she could wait for him to wake up…but goodness knows she'd probably be there for days if she went with that option. Her face contorted for a moment into a look of scheming before an idea finally came to her. While grinning and still careful of her movements, Eina stepped closer to the tree, but opposite and out of the view of Legolas and his perch. She then brought her hand up and carefully placed it against the bark of the great tree in front of her, and focused.
'Wake up Legolas. There is someone who wishes to speak with you.'
Even from below, she heard the Prince stir, and then sigh, before, gracefully leaping off the tree and landing like bird on the ground beside her.
The instant his feet touched the ground, she let out a sunny laugh. "That worked far better than expected." She said gleefully.
The Prince had landed a few strides away. A look of surprise shot across his face upon seeing who had awoken him. "Eina! How did you find me?"
Her lips curled up into a cheeky grin. "I'm not entirely sure myself." Her gaze shot upwards towards the golden leaves of the tree above them, her hand once again falling onto its silvery bark. "The trees were exceptionally helpful though."
"The trees?" Legolas now looked befuddled, "Only those of the Woodland Realm are known to have the power to speak to the forests."
She shrugged. "Lady Galadriel repaired Gandalf's the spell and suggested I simply trust the magic, and that's what I did. And it lead me here," her voice turned soft, "to you." An air of silence drifted between them for an instant. But it was in that instant that the Prince's expression began to turn sorrowful. Eina caught it, and was quick to speak, "I wanted to apologize for my brother's brash behavior. It was not right of him too attack you so violently as he had."
But still, the familiar look of shame began to mar the Prince's handsome face. His blue eyes dared not meet those of young woman that stood before him, even as he spoke. "I betrayed your trust, as well as that of the entire Fellowship. My actions were deplorable, and wholly unworthy of forgiveness." He dared meet her gaze. "You need not apologize for Boromir. He was right in his rage, as any brother would be." He then turned, beginning to stride back off into the forest once more.
Eina was quick to follow after him, and made a grab for Legolas's hand to keep him from disappearing again. "Why everyone seems to think of me as some porcelain doll, I have yet to understand. But Legolas, please: just as you hold no grievances towards my brother, I hold none towards you," her eyes glanced at their hands, "you were under the order of Lord Elrond. You were only doing that which had been asked of you." For some reason or other, her eyes began to sting. "So do not be so hard on yourself. I forgive you. It leaves me just as torn to know that you are still so heavy hearted."
Towards the end of her speech, he had finally turned to face her. But his expression did not change. If anything, it grew more sorrowful. While her eyes had since closed, that did not stop the tears from slipping past. The Prince then lifted his free hand, and brought it up to Eina's face, "Then why the tears?" Legolas inquired softly, now carefully brushing away the tears with his thumb. "Surely they are not for me."
She could only nod, for her throat had locked up entirely. Why that had even happened, Eina couldn't even begin to understand. She was outright trembling, and the tears were still falling despite how tightly she kept her eyes shut in attempts conceal them.
This feeling—whatever it was—was terrifying her to this point of uncontrollable sadness. And try as she might, she simply could not keep herself composed in regards to the matter. It was almost as if she had been here before, but for the life of her, she could recall no such memory. So she remained silent, all the while still trying to fight this overwhelming feeling of unexplainable sadness.
After a moment, the Prince spoke up on, his hand still valiant in its efforts to remove her tears. "I was an outright fool to not argue Elrond in his request." He began, wiping another tear away. "But I'd had my own suspicions, thus I did not press the matter. Yet, now I can see the truth quite plainly: all that which he, or anyone, ever dared to conspire against you was wrong. And I will be eternally regretful for believing otherwise. "
Throughout Legolas's discourse, Eina had unconsciously leaned into him, and the space between them was now quite small. His one hand still rested on her cheek, the other still held tightly within Eina's shaking grasp. But she was still aware of the closeness the shared, for she could feel his warm breath tickling her face.
But just as Eina could feel his breath, Legolas could see her tears as they clung to her dark lashes. His chest ached to see her in such an agonized state; here Eina stood shedding tears over his sorrows, for she knew he was being consumed by his grief. And how she was so attuned to such things, Legolas had yet to understand. But in that instant, he knew her to be so painfully forgiving that he could only be further disgusted with himself and his actions: he had committed an act of treachery, and he alone was the culprit for the suffering Eina was now experiencing. Surely, his presence would only cause her further sorrow…
With those words as a final thought, Legolas carried on. "Now, I dare to ask for your forgiveness one last time, for when I say this:" His lips then grazed her forehead, "goodbye."
In a rush of wind, the Prince released her and disappeared into the forest. Eina's eyes had flown open but she was so taken aback at his last words that for an instant, she could only stand petrified where she stood. She was entirely horrified, her mind rattling endlessly, 'No, no, no…' But there was one phrase that she parading across her mind in an endless loop. One that did not belong:
'Not again.' This continual horrific sense of déjà vu was overwhelming, and Eina still had yet to understand why she was even feeling this way. But her heart was not lying: the tearing ache she felt there was not something conjured from nothing; deep within her, she knew that she had been in this situation before…
It was then that the reality of the situation slammed back into her. Eina's head then whipped around, desperately seeking for any sign of Legolas or which way he may have gone. But being the Elf that he was, he left no traces of his presence, or any signs of his departure. He had vanished once again, right before her eyes.
"Legolas, wait!" Her voice had suddenly returned to her. She then began to fully shout after him. "You cannot leave! The Fellowship, we need you! I need you!" Her eyes scoured the forest around her, searching, hoping he would reappear, because she knew he could hear her…
But her only answer was the wind whispering through the golden leaves above her. And it was suffocating.
She suppressed a sob, running over to the nearest tree, and desperately asking it to help her find Legolas. But Eina's eyes soon widened at the response she received. She bolted to another tree, asking again the same question: where was Legolas? But she received no different of a reply: a quiet, sad hum. She went to multiple others, asking them all the same question only to receive the same answer. At last, with her hand still on the bark of the same mighty tree she had found him in, Eina turned and grabbed at the bark furiously in anguish. The trees had all given her the same sorrowful answer
'He does not wish to be found.'
Eina then collapsed to her knees, the damn of tears finally breaking free in full force. Her hands were draped across her face, with the tears still leaking between her lithe fingers. Her heart ached in a way she had never known, nor could bring herself to understand. And once more, she found this situation somehow to be familiar. As if, long ago, another whom she deeply cared had fled from her out of guilt over the crimes he had committed against her…
But still, she could not recall such a memory. Yet this feeling was still so painfully real that in that moment, all she could do was cry in hopes of physically releasing the agonies that had been bottled up within her.
She stayed like that until a new voice shouted out to her, "Eina!" This once silent walker became more audible in their approach, their boots coming to run across the leaves towards her.
Haldir was quick to kneel beside her, a hand landing on her shoulder, "What's happened?"
Her hands had dropped to her lap, but the tears were still silently falling from her vacant eyes. She gave him a jumble of words. "Gone…he's gone…"
To her words, the Marchwarden's gaze turned even more serious. "Who has gone?" He asked.
"Legolas."
To this, Haldir swore. He rose and swiftly began to stride further into the wood, fully intent of dragging the Prince back by the tips of his pointed ears. But a quiet voice caused him to pause.
"There is no use in searching." Eina's voice crackled as she moved to stand. The act of rising alone he caused her to wobble, but she managed. Her hands clutched her upper arms as she tried to keep herself from falling apart any further. She dared to reiterate what the trees had told her. "He does not wish to be found." While her tears had since stopped, their lingering trails still clung to her cheeks. Her expression was frighteningly hallowed. "This is all my fault." She whispered.
"That is a lie." Haldir said blatantly, silently fuming at the idiocy of the Prince. If he ever got his hands on that posh little brat, Haldir would surely ring his neck. "Whether or not Legolas can find the courage to forgive himself for his actions is something only he can decide. You are not to blame."
"But if I had not joined the Fellowship, none of this would have happened." She began to hunch forward, almost as if she were collapsing in on herself.
But Haldir would be damned if he'd stand by and watch her fall to pieces. He then strode before her, grabbing her shoulders in a stern, but still remarkably gentle matter to pull her back from her sorrows. "That is reality we will never know." The Elf began. "But worrying over such things serves no one. Regardless of what may have been, this is where we are now. All we can do is move forward. Do you understand me Eina?" He carefully tipped her chin upwards, heavily emphasizing his next words. "You are not to blame."
"Then why?" Her words shook once again. "Why does this hurt so horribly?"
Tears once again began to fall from her eyes. But Haldir was swift to pull her into his protective embrace. But to the surprise of them both, a new voice spoke. It passed through the air like a watery stream, riddled with wisdom as it always was.
"A heart is a heavy burden. One that only the bravest dare to endure." The pair looked to see Lady Galadriel standing before them. The Elf-Witch then paused, swiftly changing topics. "However, Haldir is right in his words, Eina. The path Legolas has chosen is one that he alone must conquer. As such, you should not be burdened by his decision. The Prince will find his own means of peace in time."
Eina took a deep breath and nodded, her tears subsiding once again to small sniffles. She and Haldir had since separated, but one of his hands remained safely perched on her shoulder as Eina was once again trying to wipe her tears away.
Galadriel carried on. "But with the loss of two of its members, the Fellowship will be at even greater risk than before. Henceforth, I am assigning Haldir to be apart of your company in hopes that his addition will aid you in your journeys."
To her words, the pair was both thunderstruck. However, Haldir still remained more controlled in suppressing shock. "It would be an honor." The Marchwarden then bowed deeply to Galadriel, "I will go to any lengths to see that the quest of the Fellowship is upheld."
She nodded to him, smiling softly. "It would already seem that your addition brings a great sense of ease to the company." Both Haldir and Galadriel then looked to Eina: her eyes were wide, but now far calmer than they had before. To their stares, she looked down, embarrassed for being caught so blatantly gawking. Galadriel let out a quiet chuckle. "It is settled then. Haldir of Lórien, I now welcome to the Fellowship of the Ring."
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Lord of the Rings.
Bet none of you saw that coming, now did you? I've honestly fallen entirely back in love with this story just from writing this chapter. But please, let me know what you think! Constructive criticism regarding OOC's, character interactions, my explanations, etc. are always appreciated! And I've also got a few more important announcements on my profile. And I would highly implore you to read them. They involve the future status of the story. So if you fail to read them, and are later confused, I'll only point you towards this wonderful bold font here, and then leave you feeling the fool, and I'd rather avoid that. Again, thanks for reading!
Until later