As I had promised, we returned at first light on the third day, Lady Galadriel waiting for us patiently having not moved since the first glimmer of twilight and the fading of the faintest stars in the heavens. I greeted her as I would a mother, accepting her tender embrace before she lifted her hand to lead me further into our boundaries, softly ordering for Boromir to be brought to where he could be healed. "You did well to keep him alive, dear one. Such injuries as these would have killed a lesser man."
"There is strength in Men yet." I answered, removing my weapons now that we were safe behind our borders and tended to Boromir diligently. He remained deeply laden in the sleep which I had placed him under, murmuring only rarely and I heard the name of his brother pass his lips more than once. I soothed him with words and song, sponging his brow whenever it burned and warmed him with blankets when he froze, tending to the constant fever until it broke during the night several days later. Seeing him stir I rose from my seat and went to him in order to see to his needs, watching as his lashes gradually rose from dusting against his cheeks and fluttered in confusion, staring up at the woven wood of the ceiling and the ornate patterns with hanging flowers overhead before noticing me standing there.
"Where am I? What place is this?"
"This is my home, Boromir, and here I have tended your wounds." I explained to him gently, bringing him water to drink so that he could calm himself. "You were almost dead, but the healing of my kin kept you from passing beyond the veil. You are safe here, and well. I give you my word."
"Then I owe you thanks and my life, my lady, if it is true what you say." Drinking deeply from the water I then took the cup from him and touched his brow to see if the fever had truly left him. "What of the hobbits? Merry and Pippin? What became of them?"
"Their fates are yet undetermined, but I do not sense a sudden end to their future, so you may still hold to hope, Boromir." Comforting him as best as I was able, I had him lay down and rest a little longer to continue gathering his strength, lulling him with a song until I could hear the deep breaths of slumber and the occasional snore of a man behind me. The sound encouraged a flicker of a smile but it quickly faded as I stepped out onto the flat boarding of my flet, drawing in deeply the starlit night air.
My fingers curled around the wooden rails which encircled my home, the elaborate weave of roots and silver flowers adorning my humble abode and filling the air with the scent of pine, sandalwood and floral fragrances which calmed the mind. I found my eyes closing of their own accord, growing milky white as I felt myself become submerged with a rush of cold, causing me to shiver until all at once, I realised I could not breathe. Around me was a dark confusion of rushing and gushing, a closeness which suffocated all air from my lungs and as I struck the ground and clawed at my throat, I realised that I was having a vision of drowning.
No matter how I struck and kicked in desperation I could not find the surface, and as the bright spots of starlight burst before my eyes only to fade into a devastating blackness did I feel the pain in my breathless lungs gradually fade. I gurgled and choked on nothing, my physical body reacting to my vision and caused such an alarm in Haldir as he came rushing to my side, sensing my distress that he lifted me up off the ground and carried me away in order to help me. His hands stroked my hair and rubbed my neck, murmuring in fast paced elvish to help soothe the power my vision held over me as it continued to show me more and more until all at once, I could breathe.
Eyes of deep mahogany brown returned, darkening the pearl white and I clung desperately onto Haldir as I began to weep for the terror which still caused my heart to tremble. I did not know whose future this drowning belonged to, but I knew the pain they would endure and felt my heart ache for what was to come. In my mind I could feel Galadriel's touch, and soon Elrond's too as we all became connected to one another through the power of their Rings and myself by invitation upon their conversation. Haldir rocked me gently as I calmed, kissing my head as I listened to Galadriel's words, having seen similar visions in her mirror as what I had seen with my own eyes.
"I amar prestar aen... han mathon ne nen, han mathon ne chae a han noston ned 'wilith. The power of the enemy is growing." My mind became filled with image of Saruman communicating with the Dark Lord Sauron through the palantir, visions of our world becoming consumed by devastation and hellish flame. "Sauron will use his puppet, Saruman to destroy the people of Rohan. Isengard has been unleashed. The Eye of Sauron now turns to Gondor, the last free kingdom of Men. His war on this country will come swiftly. He senses the Ring is close." Immediately I thought of Frodo and Sam, searching for them with my inner eye to find them in the hands of Boromir's brother, Faramir. "The strength of the Ring-bearer is failing. In his heart, Frodo begins to understand…the quest will claim his life. You know this. You have foreseen it. It is the risk we all took."
The presence of Elrond in my mind grew graver, knowing that Galadriel spoke the truth in this matter. There was not much to see beyond the fires and shadows of Mount Doom, and all hope of a heroic return was crippled with the knowledge of all that lay behind those Black Gates. Countless enemies, all burning with the desire to destroy all that they touch at the will of a being so malevolent in spirit that it would be almost impossible to escape it's watchful eye and the loyal servants it had ensnared to its cause.
"In the gathering dark, the will of the Ring grows strong. It works hard now to find its way back into the hands of Men. Men, who are so easily seduced by its power. The young captain of Gondor has but to extend his hand, take the Ring for his own and the world will fall. It is close now. So close to achieving its goal. For Sauron will have dominion over all life on this Earth even unto to the ending of the world." My soul mourned for all the anguish it carried at such words, losing all hope that this world shall ever fully recover from the scars that had been inflicted upon it by the forces of evil. "The time of the Elves…is over. Do we leave Middle-earth to its fate? Do we let them stand alone?"
As my mind was released from the council, I looked first upon Haldir who still cradled me in his arms, fingers tracing the shape of my face whilst holding me in his warmth. "The race of Men are to be extinguished." He guessed easily, reading the depths of my eyes as effortlessly as if they were words upon a page for him to study.
"The shadow of Mordor will come for us all." Sitting up a little I touched my head, attempting to think of what should be done. "Men are losing their faith. Their numbers are dwindling whilst the power of Mordor and Isengard grows. Unless aid comes to them, the people of Rohan will not live to see the changing of the next season, not even the ending of the week." I worried for them, I worried for them all, but most of all I worried for Legolas and Aragorn who had chosen to remain with Rohan's people, to offer them their aid and to stand with them unto whatever end might greet them.
"Our people are leaving these shores, mîr el, what good will it do to spill the blood of our people for the greed and weakness of Men?" He asked me with stern and steely gaze, reluctant to place his kin in danger for the sake of those who would not necessarily heed the same call for aid were we to extend it in reversed circumstances. "Why should we go to them?"
"Because our alliance of old is not yet dead." Rising to my feet I stood as tall and proud as I was able, floating upon air with a lightness I had not felt in a long time as clarity filled my entire being. "Men and Elves stood side by side three thousand years ago in order to face this same evil. We may not all be of the same race, but we are bound to the same fate. Sauron grows ever more powerful the longer he is left unchecked, what if his power grows to the extent that one day, he will reach us in the Undying Lands? What then? Whom upon shall we call if Sauron learns how to extinguish all light in this world and plucks the stars from the heavens, crushes the moon with his hand and douses the sun's eternal flame?" Reaching for Haldir's sword I lifted it, feeling the weight of the heavier blade as I held it out to him hilt first. "What can we do but lament for regrets long since passed? If I should die, then I choose to die fighting for this land that I love, and the people who dwell upon it."
"Eleniel…" Humming my name with a soft reverberation, I glared obstinately at Haldir until his lips turned upwards into a small smile. "There is none alive today who loves these lands as you do."
"Indeed not. I am the Ward of Greenwood, Lothlorien and Imladris. Elves are my kin, as are the race of Men, and I am named Dwarf-Friend. I know what it is to have a love for one's land so intense that a company of a mere fourteen faced a dragon's wrath to reclaim it. I know the beauty of peace and quietness, to have a love of things which grow and to nurture young life until it grows old and begins its cycle anew. I have seen all these things, in past, present and future, and I want to protect it. Beginning with Rohan."
Lifting the sword a little higher, I waited for Haldir to contemplate my words before finally he took the sword from my grasp, relieving my arm of its heaviness. Cool orbs of watery pools rippled before me as Haldir closed the distance between us and brushed his lips to my ear, lowering his voice into a tender whisper. "You know I will follow you anywhere, mîr el, even to death."
"I need but you beside me and I shall have the courage to face the entire world, Haldir." Encouraged that Haldir was with me, I opened my mind to Galadriel and together, we made the decision to send the aid of Elves to Helms Deep where the battle for the Rohan itself would decide the fate of its people. Elrond came to an agreement that we Elves should not so quickly abandon Men to their fate, and so the preparations for war began with all speed and haste. I too intended to go, and so as I dressed myself in a mithril shirt made for me as a gift from King Thorin himself, Boromir immediately knew that something was occurring.
"That mail shirt you wear, am I right in thinking it is mithril?" He asked me as I came to see him, bringing him food and drink.
"It is. The last of the mithril in Erebor was used to make this gift for me. I wear it now to go to war." Immediately asking for the details, Boromir had hardly allowed me to finish before he was rising from the bed and reaching for his shirt and hauberk.
"If there is a battle to be fought, then I shall not sit idly by whilst my brothers fight for their survival. I will go with you." Having suspected he would say as much, I handed him his sword and shield, both of which I had cared for whilst he recovered as well as his hunting horn.
"You are a man of honour and valour, Boromir of Gondor." I said to him as I extended the horn, heart kindling with burning courage in the approach of war and battle. "It will be my privilege to fight by your side." Nodding his head gratefully, Boromir noted how his chainmail had also been mended, so I merely smiled at him over my shoulder before I continued to ready myself. With a shirt of silver to cover my mithril, I then set aside my gems of Lasgalen to keep them in safety, removing the silver coronet upon my head. I gifted Boromir new bracers to replace the ones that Aragorn had taken to carry in his stead, inlaid with the silver tree of Gondor. The leather perfectly shaped to his arm as he secured the laces, pulling them taut as I did the same with my own then pulled a cloak around my shoulders. The grey mantle fell to the floor as I walked, flowing and breathing with every movement I made. "Are you ready, friend?" I questioned, securing my weapons and packing a little food and supplies for the road, knowing that Boromir would need them even if we Elves did not.
Once he was secure in the knowledge that he was ready, Boromir touched at his wounds one final time as if to marvel how quickly they had healed before following me down to the floor below. I had two horses ready and waiting for us both, the black mare saddled for myself and the other for Boromir. Five hundred of our archers stood ready for the long journey from our realm to Rohan, listening to Lord Celeborn's parting words before they began to march, great bows held in hand with silver hair gleaming like banners of unfurled starlight. I rode forwards to meet the lord and lady, looking to them with an effortless smile. "Hanon le, for everything. I owe you all that I have and all that I am."
"You owe us nothing, dear child." Celeborn assured me, placing his hand upon my head after I had dismounted and knelt before them. Galadriel placed her hand above her husband's, both giving me their blessing in tongues which wielded power and echoed with the eternity of ages they had seen. "Go now, go swiftly so that you may return sooner."
"And remember, dearest and most precious star…" Galadriel murmured, taking my chin to raise my head so that I might see her devastatingly beautiful smile. "There is a light and power within you which no darkness can touch. A part of you will always remain incorruptible, for you were born with all the enduring strength of the Elves and the resilient adaptability of Men. Both are a part of you." Kissing my brow I was then released and bidden with melancholy farewells, riding away between Haldir and Boromir.
When I gazed last upon the Golden Wood I saw the leaves come alive in the light of a heavenly beam as it broke through the pearly grey veil of clouds above, causing an involuntary shudder throughout the forest which caused each leaf to dance like a burning flame. Such a memory became engraved into my mind and whenever I think back to those resplendent trees and their striking beauty, my heart becomes gripped in a sudden fervour of passion and my voice wishes to cry out in song to speak of their radiance and eternal glory, never to diminish.