I got EIGHT reviews this time! WOOT! And if I count megan4dominic's review as three again, that would make it ELEVEN! Woot! I'm super happy now! My day's just been made better! You guys are awesome…I love your response to the whole Leo/ Fred tension there…and the whole Leo/Sam thing going on…Piratica seems a bit grumble-ish, but that's cos of a promise I made her before, so ignore her…yeah, I said to ignore you, Piratica! Wotcha gonna do?…Anywho…I've been thinking about this next chapter for a while now, and I started writing it yesterday while I was home sick. So I hope you all enjoy! And remember, keep those reviews coming!
Chapter Seven: Answers
"What's wrong, mate?" a voice asked, pulling Fred out of his thoughts. He looked up to see John staring at him from across the table.
"Nothing." Fred said as he stabbed at a particularly stubborn piece of broccoli.
"Are you sure?" John pressed, frowning.
"Yeah." The dark-haired boy replied. "I'm sure."
The Brit shrugged and went back to his dinner just as the doors to the Hall slammed open and a couple of Elves rushed in, wearing matching uniforms and swords at their hips. Elrond stood as they hurried towards the Head Table, followed in suit by Erestor and Glorfindel. The Elven soldiers came to a stop and bowed before Elrond spoke to their leader.
"Yes, Galenest?" the Peredhil asked. "What is it?"
"Forgive me, milord," Galenest said, sounding breathless. "But your daughter has just arrived –"
"Arwen?" the Twins cried, standing up in unison. "What's she doing here?"
"I know not." The soldier replied. "But she begs for an audience with you immeadiately, Lord Elrond."
"And she shall receive it." The Elf-Lord answered. "Tell her to meet me in my study. I shall be there as soon as possible." The guards nodded and quickly left the Hall to follow their orders.
"Do you want us to come with you, ada?" Elladan asked, looking at his dad, whose eyes were filled with worry.
"I suppose you should." Elrond replied distractedly. "She would most likely want the two of you there." He tuned to his adviser and his seneschal. "Would you be so kind as to tell the maids to prepare her rooms, and to have someone take care of her horse. The poor animal must be tired if she rode it all the way from Minas Tirith…
The Elf-Lords nodded and quickly left the Hall to do what they had been asked, their robes swishing behind them as they ran
"What about us?" Leo asked suddenly, speaking what seemed to be on the rest of the group's mind. Hailey nodded quickly to show that she too was curious about what was to be done with them.
Elrond frowned for a second before replying, "If you return to your rooms after you finish eating, I shall send someone to come and get you to take you to my study when I am done conversing with my daughter." With that, the Elf-Lord left the table, followed closely by his two sons.
"I thought Arwen lived here." Hailey muttered, watching the Elves hurry out of the Hall. Merry shrugged.
"She married Aragorn at the end of the War of the Ring." John said slowly, as if he was gathering all of his facts. He kept his voice low, though, looking cautiously around the Hall. "She went to go live in Gondor with him, and when they were wed, she became his Queen."
"Oh, yeah…" Hailey said, grinning. "I remember now. That would have been a cool part to see in the movie. I was really looking forward to that, but noooooooo. We had to be zapped outta the theatre before that! And before the Corsairs of Umbar, and the Battle of Pelennor Fields, and – oooh! The Oliphaunts! I was really looking forward to seeing them…Grey as a mouse, Large as a house…"
"Hailey." Merry said, resting his head in his hands.
"Yeah?" the Scottish girl asked, looking at him happily.
"You're rambling again." He groaned. "Shut up."
Fred turned to talk to Sam, only to see the back of her head. She was too busy talking to Leo to even pay attention to him. Sighing, he stood and put his napkin on the table.
"Where're you goin', ol' chap?" Beau asked, looking up from his food.
"To my rooms." Fred replied glumly as he pushed in his chair. "I'll see you in Elrond's study."
"Yeah, later, mate." John said, and Fred left the table. He looked back to see if Sam had even noticed his absence, but he sighed dejectedly when he saw she didn't even turn around to look at him.
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"Arwen!" the Twins cried out as they ran into their father's study. The Elven maiden turned around in her seat to see her brothers just before they crashed into her.
"Elladan. Elrohir." She said softly, kissing both of them on the tops of their heads as the siblings hugged. "Oh, how I have missed you so!…If only I were not here on such a solemn errand."
"What do you mean, sister?" Elrohir asked, frowning as he and his twin took a seat on either side of her. "Your sadness radiates off of you in waves. What causes this to be so?"
"Elladan, Elrohir, give your sister a chance to breath." Elrond scolded as he shut the study door behind him. "You're acting as you did when she returned from Lothlorien, and it hasn't even been that long of an absence."
"We missed her all the same, ada." Elladan pointed out, but both he and his brother fell silent as they waited for their sister to speak.
"I came here as soon as it happened, ada." She said softly, her gaze on the floor. "Eldarion is but a year old, and I feel horrible for leaving him with his sisters, but I could not bring him on such a dangerous trip. Middle-Earth is no longer safe."
"Indeed it is not." Elrond agreed, resting his elbows on his desk. "Which is why I am surprised that you arrived not only without warning, but without an escort. What has gotten into that Man's head that makes him think he can let my daughter travel the world without an escort –"
"Aragorn has no knowledge of my leave." Arwen whispered, lifting her gaze. Her family was surprised to see tears falling from her face.
"And why is this?" Elladan asked. "What did he do to you?"
"Nothing, gwador-nin!" Arwen exclaimed.
"Then why did you leave without telling Estel?" Elrohir asked.
"Because I couldn't tell him." The Evenstar whispered.
"Why?" Elrond pressed. "Child, you must tell me…"
"He…He…" Arwen closed her eyes and took a deep breath before uttering the words she had kept to herself for so long in a shuddering whisper. "He's disappeared."
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"So I guess that I'll see you later at the meeting thing Elrond says we have to go to…" Leo said slowly as he and Sam arrived at the door to her bedroom.
"Yeah, I guess so." She agreed, smiling.
"Should I ask whoever comes to get me to stop by your rooms, too?" he asked, anxious for another chance to walk with the girl.
"Sure!" she said brightly, her smile widening. "That'd be awesome!"
"Cool." Leo said, grinning back at her. "I'll come by later, then?"
"Yeah." Sam replied. "Later."
"Later." The New Zealander said with a wave, before walking away.
"He is so sweet!" Sam muttered to herself as he opened her door and walked into her rooms.
"Is that so?" an annoyed voice asked as she shut the door behind her.
"Wha-?" Sam gasped, jumping. She looked around to see a single candle lit, standing on the table next to the couch, where Fred was sitting, looking very peeved. "Oh, it's just you."
"Just me?" Fred coughed. "Just me! What's that supposed to mean?"
The girl frowned, her brow furrowing. "It doesn't mean anything." She said quickly. "Just that I'm relieved it wasn't some creepy stalker guy or something like that."
"Are you sure about that?" Fred asked, glaring at her as she made to light the other candles and lamps around her rooms. "Or were you disappointed that it wasn't your dear Leo inside?"
"What are you on about, Fred?" Sam cried, spinning around to glare at the boy. "He's not my dear Leo. He's just Leo."
"Well, your actions seem to say otherwise." The boy grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Oh, grow up, will you?" Sam spat, returning to the job of turning on the lights. "He's just a friend."
"Just a friend?" Fred repeated. "So you'd ignore your best friend for someone who's just a friend?"
"Will you chill already!" she cried, stomping over to him, her hazel eyes flashing.
"No, I don't think I will!" Fred countered. "Why should I, anyways?"
"Because he's just a boy!" Sam said, closing her eyes as she tried to keep her temper in check.
"Just a boy? Just a friend?" Fred said, shaking his head. "I don't think so. I think he's more than that to you. I think you like him."
"And so what if I do!" Sam yelled, her control on her temper out the window. "What's it to you?"
"He could be dangerous!" Fred said defensively.
"Dangerous?" she repeated. "Leo's about as dangerous as you are!"
"Except that he's a total stranger!" he argued. "You could get hurt!"
"I'm sixteen, Fred." Sam said, her voice dangerously low. "I think I know how to look after myself.
But Fred failed to notice the warning in her voice, and ploughed right on, letting his temper get the better of him as well. "This isn't home, Sam! Leo could be potentially dangerous! As could all of the Elves here!"
"You'd better stop, Fred." Sam said slowly, lowering the matches. "I don't need this right now."
"I don't think you need to be with Leo!" Fred said angrily. "I don't think you should be anywhere near him!"
Before Fred could even see what was happening, Sam ran out of the room, tears falling from her eyes as she slammed the door shut behind.
"Oh my God…" Fred muttered. "What did I do?"
Okay, well, class is about to start soon…and Mr. Hanson doesn't like me being on during drama class, cos for some reason, fanfiction isn't the same thing…#ponders#…well, I just hafta upload this then…remember, REVIEW!…I'm gonna raise the bar to FIVE reviews, since I managed to get 8 (or 11, if you want to be technical)…..so there….Five reviews if you want the next chapter to come on Thursday! And then I have a game Friday and Saturday, and Saturday is cotillion…so yeah…
PHE