Chapter Sixteen:
A cold, wet feeling on her cheek woke Laurel that next morning. Squinting her eyes and yawning, she glanced to her left to find a skunk rubbing his nose against her cheek. Laurel giggled and scooped the little skunk into her arms. She had fallen asleep with her feet still in the pond and rubbed them dry on the grass before trying to get her boots on without the use of her hands.
"Well hello there little one," she greeted with a smile. She had also noticed that there were a few more animals around her at various distances, but this one had been the closest and most curious of them. "Have you seen anyone come through here recently?" The skunk shook his head and Laurel gave a small sigh. "I'm looking for my friends, one is a wizard, two are human men, one is a dwarf, four are hobbits, and one is an elf," she explained. The skunk perked up when it heard the word "elf". In its mind laurel saw a blurry-looking blond-haired elf astride a horse with a bow and arrows in hand. Skunks were not known for their good eye-sight, but Laurel was sure that that looked like Legolas to her!
"Yes! That's one of my friends! Can you take me to him?" she pleaded with hopeful eyes and a bright smile. The skunk gave a happy little grunt and hopped out of her arms to show her the way.
"Oh, thank you!" she nearly cried with joy at the thought of seeing the fellowship again. The skunk, and a few other animals that had joined them, lead her into a forest up ahead and kept a brisk pace. The trees here were different than any she had ever seen. They were huge and tall and nearly silvery in appearance. They trotted through the understory of the forest for a while and Laurel was easily distracted by the many new animals and flowers she saw as they passed. She didn't take notice, however, when the animals suddenly scattered from the path and everything became eerily silent.
Laurel turned her attention back to her guide, only to find that she was now alone. She stopped in her tracks, turning slowly in a circle to get her bearings.
"Hello?" she called out. No answer came. She started to get worried now. It wasn't often that the animals would abandon her or not come if she called to them. She looked behind her at where she had come from and decided she should probably just continue forward. When she turned around she found a razor sharp arrowhead pointed at her.
"State your purpose for trespassing," a hard voice rung out. Laurel looked up over the arrow to see a tall, blond elf staring at her with a deadly expression. She could also see now that there were many other elves, some on horses, some in the trees, surrounding her.
"I'm s-sorry," she stammered under the pressure, speaking in Sindarin to match his inquiry. "I was separated from my traveling companions and was trying to find them," she explained. The elf kept his arrow trained on her.
"No humans have passed through these woods. Leave here at once," he commanded. Laurel took the time to really look at this elf and could see now that the skunk had pictured this elf and she had just assumed that it was Legolas. This was definitely not Legolas, but he was just as tall and maybe even as handsome as the woodland prince.
"How about a wizard?" she tried, giving him a sheepish look. The elf studied her for a moment or two.
"What wizard?" he countered, eying her suspiciously.
"Uh, Mithrandir..." she said hesitantly, hoping they knew who Gandalf was. The elves around her began to whisper amongst themselves.
"Is he the one who taught you our language?" the head elf asked. Laurel shook her head.
"Lord Elrond and his son's taught me to speak Sindarin," she explained. Truthfully, she had been taught by Saruman, but that was a detail she should probably keep to herself, she thought.
"What is your relationship with the lord of Imladris?" came his next question. Laurel could tell now that she was making headway.
"He took me in and made me his ward." She looked the elf over to see if he believed her. He gave her a few more once overs before he gave a curt nod, putting his bow away and ordering the other guards to stand down.
"Forgive me, my lady. Any guest of Lord Elrond's is welcome in Lothlórien," he said more gently this time and bowing his head to her. "I am Haldir, marchwarden of the Golden Wood."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Laurel," she replied with a little more ease now. A guard lead a white horse out from behind the trees and handed the reins to Haldir.
"Lady Laurel, please allow us to escort you to the Lady of Lorien," he offered as he extended a hand to her. Laurel gave him a small smile and a polite nod, placing her hand in his. The marchwarden's face let slip a breath of a smile as he took her hand and lifted her easily onto the horse. He deftly swung himself onto the horse behind her and wrapped a long, muscular arm around her waist, pulling her back flush against his chest. Laurel felt her cheeks heat up at the contact and the feeling of his strong muscles against her back.
They rode in relative silence for a short while before they came upon the gates to the golden wood. Laurel gasped when she saw the city in the woods. The trees where huge and magnificent with houses built onto the branches and long, winding staircases at each level. The leaves were beautiful and gold and a slow-moving river cut a path through the city. It was a wondrous sight!
Haldir gave a slight grin when he saw how dazzled the smaller woman in front of him was. It was clear that she had been traveling for some time and had not had a descent bath in a while or a fresh change of clothes. His first order of business was to bring her to Lady Galadriel and then sort out a room for her to stay in while she remained in the golden wood. He dismissed the guards to return to their patrol once he entered the city and made his way to the dwellings of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.
Laurel was lifted off of the horse and gently set on her feet when they spotted the lord and lady of Lothlórien descending a staircase to meet them. Laurel righted her cloak and brushed a strand of her long, tangled hair behind her ear before bowing to the two as they approached.
"Rise, Lady Laurel," the elleth said, greeting her in the common tongue. Her eyes twinkled with unheard laughter when she saw Laurel's surprised expression. "Yes, my dear, we know who you are," she explained. "The Valar smile down upon you, little one." Celeborn nodded to Haldir and he took that as his cue of dismissal. The marchwarden bowed to the two and took his leave.
"We have be awaiting your arrival for some time, my dear," the elf, Lord Celeborn, said with a smile.
"You have?" Laurel asked, confused. How did they know who she was or that she would eventually find herself here?
"The Valar have shown us glimpses of your path, the one that has lead you here, and the one you are bound to take when you leave this place," Galadriel spoke. He long blonde hair flowed down her back in waves and her nose came to a small point with radiant, bright blue eyes. She was truly something to behold, as was her partner. Galadriel motioned for Laurel to follow her and of course she could not refuse the lady of the wood.
Laurel followed her as she was lead to a silver basin of sorts. She could see her reflection on the water's calm surface.
"Look into the pool, tell me what you see," Galadriel prompted with a smile. Laurel gave a slight nod and looked fully into the water. At first, she only saw her haggard reflection, but then it started to change. She saw herself astride a large black beast she had never seen before, and thus did not know what to call it, but she watched as she charged with an army across a battle field, the gates of Mordor looming in the background. She could not see any members of the fellowship around her, but the pictures flashed between scenes of the battle. Finally, there was a last image, one of her laying against a tree, sword buried in her side. Legolas was there as well, tears running down his face as he clutched her hand to his chest and brushed the blood-soaked hair from her face.
Laurel gasped violently as she stumbled back, falling to the ground. She felt her eyes well up with hot tears as she gazed up at Lady Galadriel. The elleth gave her a sad smile, knowing what she had seen. Laurel could not imagine herself killing another living being, let alone fighting a war. She felt sick when she remembered the anguished look on Legolas' face as she lay dying.
"I'm going to die," she whispered, looking up with teary eyes.
"When you have completed the task set out for you by Yavanna herself, yes my dear, you will leave this world." Her breath caught in her throat at those words. She had lived such a long and boring life, just waiting for this war to come, to play her part and then die. Surely she had more to do than that? Maybe Lady Galadriel was mistaken, or the water was tricking her somehow. Yavanna couldn't have meant for her to slaughter others and snuff out their lives at the very end, right? There had to be a better use for her talents than that.
"It is difficult, to see one's own departure, I know," Galadriel spoke. "But the fellowship cannot prevail without you, and this fate cannot be changed. You will save many lives by the end of this journey and you will make Yavanna proud." Laurel tried to muster a smile, to show the Lord and Lady that she understood and was grateful to them for their hospitality, but she could not. They most she could do was nod blankly as she picked herself up and dusted off her breeches.
"What happens next?" she asked quietly. The couple gave her sympathetic looks and motioned behind her. Laurel turned to see Haldir standing a few yards behind her once more.
"Haldir will show you to your rooms and help you get settled," Lord Celeborn explained. Laurel nodded in thanks and bowed to the two.
"Thank you both very much for your hospitality," she said without any hint of emotion left in her voice. Turning, she walked up to Haldir, placing her hand on his proffered arm. Silently, the marchwarden lead her away, seeing that the young woman have obviously not liked what the Lady Galadriel had shown her. He lead her up a few spiral staircases and along a winding causeway made from branches to the rooms that had been prepared for her.
"These are your rooms, my lady," Haldir informed her. "The bathing pools are just that way beyond the trees." Laurel looked to where he was pointing down below. "A maid will bring you a fresh dress and shoes and come fetch you for dinner."
"Oh, actually," Laurel stumbled over her words, "can I eat alone in my rooms? I'm not exactly feeling up to seeing many people." Haldir smiled softly at her, an actual smile, and nodded.
"Of course, my lad-"
"Laurel," she interrupted. "Just Laurel." Haldir gave her a smile and nodded.
"Then I shall take my leave, Laurel. If you need anything at all, do not hesitate to ask." She nodded in understanding and opened the door to her new room that she would be staying in. The room was fairly large, although not as large as her room in Imladris, and a decent-sized bed stood against the far wall and a small wardrobe just opposite it. Laurel grabbed a towel and some breeches and a tunic that were waiting on the bed and decided now was a good time for a bath.
She made her way to the ground again and followed Haldir's directions, finding the bathing pools easily enough. No one was here currently, but she still picked the pool farthest from the city. She kicked off her boots and quickly shed her dirty clothes before sliding easily into the warm water. Bottles of different colors and sizes were on a silver tray next to the pool. After smelling each one, she decided on the bottle that smelled of wildflowers and lathered it into her hair. She sighed as she felt the sweat and dirt leave her long locks. She scrubbed her body with the same soap and sank beneath the water once she was done.
Laurel sat there under the water for a few minutes, thinking about her day so far. What she wanted most right now was to see Legolas. She could not bring herself to imagine his pain-stricken face from the silver basin again and instead pictured how happy his face would be when he saw her again. She pictured the hobbits and Gimli and Aragorn and even Boromir. She could see Gandalf's knowing smile, as if he would have already known that she would be there.
So, if she was going to die on that battlefield, she would try to make each day worth living from now on. She would make the most of her relationships and take nothing for granted. She would live like she was dying.
After meditating for a few more minutes, she broke the surface of the pool and grabbed the towel she had brought with her. She dried herself off and tugged on her new breeches and tunic, which were a size too big for her. She glanced out at the sunset and smiled a sad, but hopeful smile. Everything would turn out the way the Valar had intended, and that was okay. She would play her part gratefully and be happy when it was done, she thought as she retraced her steps back to her room.
Laurel found a comb and settled down on the bed, brushing out her long, beautiful mahogany hair. She rubbed some of the rose-scented oil that was in her room into the ends of her hair, delighting in how fresh and rejuvenated she felt. She laid down on the bed, her body slowing down from the long day and let sleep carry her off, off to a place where she could dream happy dreams and not worry about the dangers of tomorrow.