"Elvish"
Peregrin Took knew what the other Hobbits of the Shire thought of him. Reckless, stupid and just plain trouble but even though it hurt when the Hobbits back home would put him down, tease him and other things except for Merry, Sam and Frodo, he was not stupid. There was something about Eleniel. Something off though not a bad, working for Sauron off, more like a I know something you don't off or I'm not as innocent as I look off. Pippin also didn't miss the white light that emitted from her hands when she was healing Merry when they had first met. At first he was going to tell Aragorn and the others that she was doing something to Merry but once he saw his wound become better, he knew she wasn't evil nor would she harm them.
He also could feel it. Her aura, her magic. Hobbits naturally felt closer to nature more than the other races of Middle Earth but Eleniel, it was almost as if nature was apart of her. It was like Yavanna's garden was in tune with her. Sometimes he could feel the forest around them shift as her mood did. The Forest of Lothlórien was already quite beautiful but he had never seen it glow or be more beautiful than when Eleniel was laughing and smiling with the Fellowship. He wondered why she and Gandalf were so different. Nature didn't shift with the moods of Gandalf and he most definitely was not in tune with the very earth so what made her different?
He was going to ask her but decided against it. It obviously was not something that she wanted the others to know and even though Boromir was friendlier with her now, Pippin could not forget the constant suspicion in the mans gaze whenever he looked at her.
"Have you noticed anything about Eleniel?" Pippin found himself asking Frodo, Merry and Pippin. The Hobbits had decided to spend their day with Merry in the Healing House. His shoulder wound was fine now and after staying in Caras Galadhon for two weeks, he was now able to move his right arm without feeling any pain.
The other Hobbits exchanged glances before looking back at their friend. "What do you mean Pip?" They asked him inquisitively. He merely shrugged his shoulders before answering, "Whenever she's happy or joyful, it's like the whole of Middle Earth lights up. The plants and trees become more lively as do the animals and the breeze. It's like she's apart of its very being."
Merry and Sam were looking at him like he was crazy while Frodo looked mostly thoughtful before nodding his head. "I-I have noticed that it seems like the forest responds to her." He replied making Pip smile and Merry and Sam to look at both of them inquisitively before shrugging their shoulders, just accepting whatever it was they were going on about. They all silently agreed that they would watch Eleniel more closely and it seemed their opportunity came running towards them as the very subject of their conversation came into the room with a huge smile on her face.
"Merry, you're awake! I came to see you this morning but you looked tired so I didn't want to wake you." she ran over to him with a bright smile on her face and greeted him with a hug. "How are you my friend? My niece said that you shall be moving to where the Fellowship are staying now since your wound is much better now."
The Hobbits were staring at her in awe as they saw the apparent glow around her body and felt the change in breeze. The Healing House which wasn't really a house had a view that went straight outside and they could see and feel as the flowers and grass actually seemed to brighten and sway with the breeze. Their gazes shot from the now confused Eleniel and outside several times. Eleniel looked outside to see whatever it was that they were looking at but only found the forest making her even more confused.
She reached her hand out to each of the Hobbits foreheads to see if they were feeling a little hot but found nothing wrong with them. "Are you okay my friends? Maybe I should send for the healer."
The mention of healers brought them out of their daze and they immediately started protesting and Pippin shouted that he could lift a whole oliphant by himself before proceeding to show her he could by trying to lift Sam exclaiming that he was as big as an oliphant, making her laugh loudly. "Okay, okay since you're all so fine then you need to go see the others about something."
The Hobbits all stood and made to move towards the exit. Once they were a goods way away from there, they turned to find Eleniel walking the other way.
"Hey! Miss Eleniel, where are you going?" Sam called out to her. She could never get him to drop the Miss claiming that as an Elven Princess, she should be shown the respect she was due.
She shook her head at them and gestured for them to go, "I'm going to see my niece. Go, Estel and them wish to speak with you." They hesitated before nodding and running off.
Eleniel knew that something was going on when after an hour of her being around Estel and them, they had started asking her if she had anything else that she was doing today. After she answered no, it seemed they were trying anything to get her to leave. She eventually took the hint and announced that she was leaving. You should have seen the sighs of relief from the Men, Elf and Dwarf. She didn't know what they were discussing but it must be important.
"It is time to move on." Is the first thing Aragorn said as soon as the Hobbits sat and made themselves comfortable. Most of the expressions of the Fellowship were those of reservation and sadness. No one wanted to leave the peacefulness of Lothlórien but knew they had to continue on. "We will be leaving tomorrow."
"Wait, what about Eleniel?" Merry asked the group as his hobbit friends nodded along with him.
Aragorn looked at them not really knowing what they were asking of him. "What do you mean what about Eleniel?" He asked them.
"Well, will she be coming along with us?" Frodo asked him shyly, his eyes turning desperate as if he did not want to continue the journey without her. Aragorn could understand. He did not know when it had happened but she had become an important part of his life. His heart ached and his mind protested at the very thought of leaving her behind but, she did not agree to go on this journey and he could not ask that of her. Her family was here in Lothlórien and from what the Lady Galadriel had said, they had been apart for many years. Too long where Aragorn could bring himself to ask her to accompany them. No, Eleniel would stay here in Lothlórien where it was safe.
He shook his head at his Hobbit friends before saying, "No, we could not ask that of her. She has been away from her family for far too long. Would you ask it of her to leave them behind especially to go on a journey that she could very well not return from? No, she must stay here."
The Fellowship even Boromir all looked sad at the thought of leaving their elleth friend behind but knew that this was where she belonged.
"You're leaving." Eleniel stated staring at the back of the ranger as she approached their bench in their clearing which is what it had become. It was their bench and their clearing. They had been meeting there to talk for the past few weeks that the Fellowship has spent in Caras Galadhon. Just to unload and see what the other had been doing all day.
Estel had told her everything about his life over the weeks that they had met. Of him being the heir of Isildur, his parents being dead and how his mother had found refuge for them in Rivendell. He told of what it was like growing up amongst Elves and the many pranks him and his brothers would play on their Ada. She told him of her life in Aman with her siblings and her father, the quest the Valar had sent her on and what had happened during the War against Sauron and the First Alliance. She spoke of the heartbreak she felt over her fathers death and seeing her siblings fall. They grew closer and closer as time went on, both of them unloading their many secrets on the other without fear of judgement or disappointment.
Estel merely nodded, his eyes still very much glued to the moon before drifting to her necklace as it turned various shades of blue. She found it funny that he always seemed to be so fascinated with her necklace. "Will you come back? To visit maybe?" She asked him having no intention of letting them leave without her although she knew that he would not allow her to tag along with them so she decided to just follow after them.
She felt a hand grab onto hers making her look up into clear blue eyes. "Of course I'll come back. I will always come back..." The 'to you' was not said but at the forefront of Aragorn's mind. He did not want to leave her behind especially not without confessing his thoughts and feelings of their time spent together but thought better of it. She was an Elf, an Elven Princess, immortal and beautiful and he was just a ranger, a crownless King.
"When will you all be leaving?" She asked him, her head finding its place on his shoulder as one of his arms wrapped around her waist.
"Tomorrow. We need to leave as soon as we can." She merely nodded her head at his words before they both resumed staring up at the moon. This visit to their clearing was spent in silence with both of them just basking in each other's presence. When it became late, Estel stood in silence, bowed to her and made to leave.
Eleniel called out to him just as he was almost out of the clearing. Turning back to her, he found an unreadable expression on her face and watched as she unlatched her necklace from around her neck. Once she was at his side, she reached her hand out to him and put her necklace in his hand.
Aragorn was shocked and made to give it back to her. "No, you must not give this to me." Eleniel shook her head at him, her grey eyes glistening in the light and her hair seeming darker than the very night surrounding them.
"Estel please. You must take this, to at least remember me on your journey." She said, her voice turning almost desperate with need.
"I do not need a necklace to remember you." He put her necklace back in her hand only for her to shove it back into his.
"Aragorn, Estel please, do not fight me on this," she said forcefully and before he knew it the necklace was in her hands and around his neck. Aragorn watched as her fingers gently caressed the necklace before looking fully into his eyes. Blue mixing with grey. "I know that you do not need a necklace to remember me but I will feel better if you were to have a piece of me with you always." His gaze softened at her words before a smile tugged at his lips.
"Do you remember what this jewel is called?" Her fingers were now gently caressing the white jewel that was glinting blue in the moonlight.
He nodded at her question before telling her it was called sarnitil or moonstone in common tongue. "That's right. Sarnithil or moonstone, a jewel that has been bathed in the light of the Moon and the Trees of Valinor."
She pulled her hand and attention away from the jewel before looking back up at him, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes. "Now, no matter where you are, at least we shall be under the same moon. The very moon whose light resides in this jewel." She spoke to him so reverently as if the very thought of them at least being under the same moon curbed any sadness or anguish she felt at being parted from him.
If Aragorn felt sadness at having to leave her behind before, he felt downright miserable now at the very thought. He felt a feather like touch of lips press against his cheek before he watched her walk away from him.
The Fellowship stood on the shores of Lothlórien, all of them looking dejected but none of them more so than the Hobbits and even Aragorn. They had just received their gifts from Lady Galadriel and were about to leave yet there was still no appearance of their elleth friend.
"My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadhrim, worthy of the skill of our woodland kin." Galadriel said handing him a bow of fine workmanship which Legolas immediately tested out.
She gave him a smile before moving on to Merry and Pippin. "These are the daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen service in war."
The Hobbits looked down at the daggers in awe before smiling up at the Lady of Light and asking, "These daggers came from Eleniel's people?" They asked receiving a nod. The two Hobbits held them reverently before kissing the hilt of the daggers and whispered, "May you forever defend me from my enemies." in Noldorin, something they had seen Eleniel do before. She had taught them after they had asked her what it was she was doing.
The rest of the Fellowship and even some of the elves stared at the Hobbits in shock but Galadriel merely gave them a smile and moved on. "And for you, Samwise Gamgee: Elven rope, made of hithlain." Sam stared down at the rope, a little disappointed that he didn't get a dagger like Merry and Pippin but nevertheless accepted the gift graciously.
The Lady of Light smiles at him and moved onto the next person in line which happened to be Gimli. "And what is it that Elves could gift to a Dwarf?" She asked him as he continued to look at the ground.
"There is nothing I want from you my lady except to leave this place with your friendship." He said, his cheeks a little hot from blushing. The Lady giggles before nodding her head and pressing her forehead against his in a show of kinship.
The dwarf grunts and clears his throat as she moves on to the next person. As she stands in front of Aragorn, her fingers brush against Eleniel's pendant around his neck. "I have no gift for thee for you already hold something precious. You are important to her, Elessar. You will face many obstacles and though all may be lost, you must remember that which is important to you."
"You have a choice to make, Aragorn… to rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness… with all that is left of your kin." Galadriel stepped away from him a sad smile on her face. "Namárië. I hope we shall see each other again."
To Frodo, she gave him the light of Eärendil, their most beloved star. They still stood there many of them still sad at the absence of their elleth friend. They were about to leave when they heard the sound of someone yelling their names. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin screamed her name and ran to give her a hug when they saw Eleniel coming towards them.
The rest of the Fellowship felt smiles appear on their face as the sight of their friend but held themselves from running to greet her like the Hobbits did. "Eleniel, we didn't think you were going to come." Pippin said pulling on her hand and leading her to the group.
"How could you think that? I would not have missed this for the world." She replied to him. The Hobbits all stood back in line as she came to them one by one and gave them a hug. The last in line for a hug was Aragorn.
Without hesitation, Eleniel had her arms around him, his arms hugging her just as tightly and fiercely. "Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au" (My heart shall weep until it sees thee again) he said to her as her eyes began to tear. She nods at him before lifting her necklace to her lips and placing a small kiss upon the jewel.
"No matter where you are," she started saying before he cut her off. "At least we shall be under the same moon." He replied, remembering the words she had spoken to him only the night before. Leaning down, he placed a chaste kiss to her forehead before moving out of her arms and to the boats where the Fellowship were waiting.
Eleniel watched as the Fellowship rowed away, her heart going with them.
If this chapter has a more in my feels and sad feel to it then that might be because I just spent the whole time I was writing this chapter listening to From This Moment by Shania Twain. The song has been stuck in my head for so long that I'm beginning to wonder if I'm suffering from heartbreak without even knowing it or it might just be because I'm reading so much Bagginshield fanfiction which ends in death 99% or the time... As you can see we are back with Eleniel and Aragorn. They have also finally moved on from Lothlórien after being there for the past 3 chapters that I've written. What did you think about the thing with the necklace? I've always loved that aspect of Arwen and Aragorns love story so I decided to use it although as you can see it's different to Arwens Evenstar. Also I'm sure many of you thought that she would go with them but no, don't worry we'll get to that. And no, they have not confessed their feelings for each other. Admittedly they do have feelings for each other but both are more focused on getting the Ring destroyed so while that whole thing with the necklace may seem like a love confession, it isn't. Did you also see what I did with the Hobbits at the beginning? So far, they are the only ones that have an inkling about her powers as though Aragorn knows about her quest, she isn't one to show off her abilities. Wow! So we're on chapter six and have just left Lothlórien which is where they were travelling to in the first chapter... Gosh I hope I don't make this book too long?
Anyways hope you liked it xx