Idrial's Quest

By Lady Annalease

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A/N: Thanks to INMH, IHeartSam, Stormshark and Jedi Padfoot for their reviews!

A/N 2: I am taking a little poetic licence about what happened in Lórien, as the game is somewhat vague about it.

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An Interlude in Lórien:

I woke to Elegost and Berethor's faces hovering over me. My head pounded like the goblins' drums.

"What happened?" I murmured, pushing myself up into a sitting position. Berethor offered me his water-skin, and I drunk thirstily, while Elegost explained.

"You fainted," he supplied. I rubbed my face and re-ran his statement, sure that he must be joking.

"I what?" I parroted. There was a musical chuckle from out of my line-of-sight.

"You fainted, Rial…passed out, swooned, lost consciousness, had an intimate encounter with the ground…. For a healer like you, that should not be such a difficult concept to grasp," a very familiar voice spoke with amusement. I turned quickly and saw a single Lórien Elf leaning against a tree, massive longbow slung casually over his shoulder, grinning at me. I knew this Elf very, very well.

"Aron!" I cried as I leapt to my feet in an attempt to go to him. Luckily, he guessed what I was about and lunged forward to catch me before I fell on my arse again.

"Easy, tithen-muinthel," he cautioned as he held me upright in his arms, "you are not quite recovered as yet." He set me gracefully back down in a sitting position and crouched easily beside me.

"How long have you been here? How did you find us?" I asked. He put his hands up as if to ward off my persistent questions.

"Cáno Aronel has been here less than an hour," Elegost supplied. "He scared the life out of us when he appeared." My elder brother smiled and I joined him, well did I know his talent for stealth and the practical jokes it caused.

"To answer your second question," Aronel continued, "our Lady sent me. She told me more or less where to find you." He glanced up at the sun and frowned slightly. "We should leave soon. We ought to be within the boarders of Lórien by nightfall." He unbuckled a flask from his belt and handed it to me. I raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "If you want to get up off your arse and not have to have one of us carry you…" he explained. I immediately knew what was in the bottle. I had no real disposition toward liquors or cordials, though I had naught against them either. I took a deep draw from the flask…and regretted it almost immediately. Strength flowed through me as the liquid lit a fiery trail through my lungs. I coughed harshly as Aronel took the flask back and thumped me heavily on the back - this liquor was stronger than most. "Come on, Rial, get up. I do not remember you being such a light-weight, tithen-muinthel." I scowled at him as I let him help me to my feet once again, which I managed to keep without stumbling this time.

"Bado mîbo orch, gwanur," I muttered. He laughed.

"Now that sounds like the Rial I remember…and I hate you too, you know." However, I could not stay angry at my misbegotten brother for long, for slightly away from where we had been, waited five archers and five swordsmen, obviously under Aronel's command, and five spare mounts, including my own mare, ready to escort us back to Lórien.

"Oh gwanur, amin mela lle!" I cried in delight and hugged him. He laughed again and pressed kisses to my cheeks.

"See, I knew it. You show well know that I will have only the best for my tithen- muinthel."

"Five horses?" I asked. Aron's mood fell.

"Lady Galadriel informed us as to the…fall of Mithrandir," he murmured, "however my Lord Celeborn hoped that, somehow, he may have managed to be with you." My own humour fell. My brother wrapped a comforting arm about me and placed a kiss to the crown of my head. My mare was certainly happy to see me and I had missed her exceedingly. I was also grateful to see that either Aronel or Lord Celeborn had thought enough to provide tack for my companions, although Hadhod complained bitterly about having to ride until Elegost offered to ride with him. Rúmil, who had come as an archer under my brother's command, boosted me up onto my own mare's back and stole an embrace in the process.

"Mae govannen, Rial," he murmured tenderly in my ear. That gave me pause. Rúmil and I had had a few trysts over the centuries, but I thought I had made it clear that it was not serious, however, he was obviously looking renew the relationship again, and now with Berethor….

"Mae govannen, Rue," I replied. Rúmil's elder brother Orophin, who had also accompanied Aron, chased him away so he could claim a hug and greeting of his own. Phin was Aron's closest friend, and much like another elder brother to me; I had known him for almost as long as I had lived. "Mas Haldir?" I asked him. It was seldom the three brothers, of which Haldir was the eldest, were seen parted in battle. Aron rode up next to me.

"In Lórien, where we soon need to be," he answered the question, his eyes flickering nervously to the sun once more. "We need to leave now. The Moria goblins will not be happy that you have slain their master and the moment the light fades they will burst from that foul place in hoards." I looked back at the direction we had come from and nodded. We turned our mounts and set an easy canter toward the Golden Wood.

--

Riding with Aronel and the soldiers made me regret the fact that I would soon have to leave again; I had dearly missed my brother and my friends. However, I could see that my companions, particularly Berethor and Hadhod, were uneasy riding with so many of my kinsmen who were all speaking fast and fluent Elvish quite over their heads. On my signal, my mare held back a few paces so I rode next to them.

"They do not mean to be impolite," I spoke, "most of them do not even speak Common, or very little of it anyway." Then I glanced at Elegost speaking fluently in Elvish with Phin. "And some are simply ill-mannered," I directed at them. The Ranger laughed and coloured slightly.

"I did not start the conversation," he defended, "Orophin asked me about the health of my brethren and it would have been rude to refuse to answer." He finished his conversation quickly and the Elf nodded and braced the Ranger's shoulder and gave me a one-armed hug and peck on the cheek before riding off back to the head of the column. "The two of you seem overly friendly," Elegost commented.

"Phin is a good friend of Aronel's and like a brother to me. You seem to be well acquainted with him too," I replied. Elegost ducked his head.

"I have met him more than a few times," he admitted, "though usually in the company of Haldir. They helped me learn my Elvish when I was younger. I know their brother Rúmil not so very well though, he was always…standoffish. You, on the other hand, seem to be…very friendly with him." I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose, wishing he had not brought it up.

"Rue is…neth," I replied. Elegost winced; the sentiment was not exactly a compliment and certainly not something you would wish a potential lover to say.

"Young," the Ranger supplied the translation to a confused-looking Berethor. The Man looked at me questioningly.

"I would be willing to wager that he is older than Elegost, Hadhod and I combined," he spoke.

"In years, yes," I agreed, "but maturity is a different thing altogether. My nephew has more tact and he is only a few years old."

"Nephew?" Berethor questioned. "You have siblings?" I could not believe it - Aron had not told them? Actually, now I thought about it, I could believe it quite readily. "No, of course he did not, this would be just the kind of thing he would find amusing," I muttered under my breath. Then I spoke to them: "Aronel is my elder brother, my only sibling. His mate is an elleth named Niphredil; they have a son, my nephew, Laeral." A smile flashed over my face. "He is a darling." Aron's marriage to Niphredil still amused me greatly; the elleth was a small, shy and fragile-looking thing, much like the snowdrop she was named for, and it sometimes made me wonder how my bear of a brother ever secured her ardour and let alone how he managed not to break her.

--

Elegost and I passed the time by trying to teach Berethor…and Hadhod, because although the Dwarf feigned disinterest, I knew he was listening, more Elvish. Orophin dropped back to ride with us again and joined in the lesson, eager to improve his Common. I knew he must be able to smell the man's scent all over me but, thankfully, all I got was a disbelieving shake of the head, a grin and a teasing wrinkle of his nose. I could feel Rúmil's eyes on us as we talked, though he did not join us, and I wondered if he was going to be more of a problem. The guarded expression on his face did nothing to quiet my fears. Berethor casually brushed my hand with his own as he mimicked Phin's words. Rúmil's expression turned thunderous as he focused on our linked hands. I shuddered and turned away from him.

"Are you well?" Phin asked, noticing my unease. He followed my gaze and saw his scowling brother. In a very rude Elven gesture, he flicked the point of his ear forward with his thumb, at the ellon. Rúmil, with an affronted toss of his head, jerked his attention back to the road ahead.

"I have seen Elves make that gesture before," Elegost commented, "I gather it is insulting…?" Orophin laughed.

"It is meant to be," he replied, "though most times it is just teasing. However, do not repeat it unless you either know the person well and are sure they know you are funning, or if they have gravely insulted you. It implies that the recipient spends their time rubbing their own ears for…personal gratification, which is not something to be either discussed or insinuated in formal company. I was only teasing Rúmil though, we brothers do it all the time; there was no need for him to stand so much on his dignity. He needs to learn to take a joke better." My own attention was suddenly caught by the road ahead as well - a sole rider, moving fast, approached us. Aronel rode out to meet him. By the way the scout was gesturing toward the road behind us, and then to the forest in the distance, his message seemed fairly clear. Aron turned and urged his hose into a gallop to the end of the column and fluidly rose to a standing position on the mount's back. He shook his head at the scout after a few moments and resumed his seat.

"We are being followed," he spoke, raising his voice so that it carried to all of us. "We need to pick up our speed." He leaned forward, his horse taking the cue and leading off in a gallop; the scout singled to him and continued back the way we had come, it was obviously his job to get a better report of the enemy. Orophin, being second-in-rank to Aron, left us to join his commander at the front of the column. I leaned forward and my own mare broke into a ground-eating gallop, Elegost and Berethor's mounts matched pace. I reached down and loosened my sword in its scabbard, and realised most of my fellows were doing likewise.

--

The cool shade of the forest embraced us, but I knew better than to think we were safe just yet. Another thirty Elves, including Haldir, dropped from the trees, running easily beside our mounts. Aron's voice washed over us, ordering archer-lookouts into the trees every few hundred meters. Hooves and feet splashed through the Nimrodel's waters and Aronel finally halted us all with a raised hand.

"In the branches," he ordered. The soldiers that had been accompanying us leapt up easily and caught the branches above them, disappearing into the foliage, leaving only my party and me on the ground, surrounded by unmounted horses. A few words from me dispersed the mounts into the trees so the Orcs would not find them. I gave a sharp whistle. A single silver-grey ladder was let down.

"Up," I ordered my party. They looked to Berethor, he nodded, and they quickly took to the ladder. I followed easily by leaping into the branches. The other Elves had all gained bows and dispersed themselves into the surrounding trees. Haldir and Aronel waited on the suspended wooden platform, but their bows were held ready in their hands, and the scout was with them, I was not sure when he had rejoined us but the fact he was alone had obviously allowed him to move faster.

"There are over a hundred of them," the scout reported, "I do not know that there are enough of us to defeat them." Haldir turned to me and spoke:

"Anything you can do to help would be appreciated, hiril-bor." I nodded slowly.

"I shall do what I can. Stand back," I ordered. I sunk to my knees and, crossing my arms, placed my palms flat against my shoulders. "Spirit of Lothlórien the Fair, Lothlórien the Golden, hear me!" I cried. "A handmaiden of the Lady calls to you!" I felt the spirit of the forest respond to my call, the wind whispered against my skin and the leaves stirred all about me.

'Idrial, hiril-bor, the forest hears you,' a voice spoke, a voice I knew.

"My Lady," I murmured.

'Yes, my dear,' the voice sounded in my mind, 'I am here. Let us see what we can do to help.' The wind intensified, howling about the trees and pulling my hair free of its braid so it danced about me and slapped my face. I could hear the noise of the approaching Orcs and the warning alarm-calls of the sentries.

"They come, muinthel," Aron spoke evenly. His voice was but a whisper in the back of my mind.

'Let them come,' the Lady spoke in my mind. 'None will live to see another dawn. Order them to shoot.'

"Let them come," I echoed. I rose slowly to my feet and let my arms fall. "Shoot them down."

"Tangado a chadad!" Aron called. The sound of bows singing sounded, Aronel, Haldir and Elegost fired from the platform in front of me, though I did not see them. Then came the screams of wounded and dying Orcs and the sharp stench of their foul blood.

"There are too many," Haldir cried, having emptied his quiver.

'It is time for us to intervene.' The voices of my Lady and me sounded together as we called the deep magics of Lothlórien:

"Waters of Lórien, swell and ebb, we call you now, we call you now, listen to our word! Rise and cleanse this place of beauty from evil! Rise now, Waters of Lórien! RISE!" A vision of my Lady came to me; she was standing upon her balcony, the hand that wore the Elven-Ring Nenya, the Ring of Water, raised above her. The white jewel set in the ornament glowed as she spoke, and her golden mane was whipped about by the wind. I had no way of knowing it at that moment, but my pose mirrored her own. I felt the water rise in my bones; I felt it sweep away the Orcish taint and I felt it drag me under, stealing my breath. I knew was drowning, I could not fight it. In the vision, my Lady dropped her hand and held it out to me.

'Take my hand, Idrial, my dear, let me shield you,' she spoke. It took all my strength to fight against the raging torrent and link my hand with hers. She pulled me into her arms and though it was still difficult to breathe, I knew I should not be swept away. 'You must not tarry here, my dear,' she spoke in my ear, 'you and your party have brought a great darkness to this place and it would be dangerous for both you and us if you were to stay. I shall give you the shelter of our trees for but one night. Send your brother to me and I shall tell him all I wish to tell you, then he shall rejoin you and guide you to the Land of the Horse Lords tomorrow. Forgive me for depriving you of the comforts of the city but it cannot be helped. You have my love, my dear Idrial, be true and do not falter, for you still have yet a ways to go.'

"My Lady," I replied softly.

--

My Lady Galadriel released me and I was suddenly back on the flet and I could breathe. I might have thought to be tired, but I felt fine. I looked about me and saw that all the Elves, other than Haldir and Aronel, who had seen both myself and others use such powers before, had fallen to their knees, their fists placed over their hearts in salute.

"Get up! Get up!" I cried. "Do not be so foolish! I was but a conduit for our Lady's power, nothing more. You owe your praises to her, not to me. I am but a hand-maiden. Please, get up!" The Elves rose slowly and somewhat uneasily to their feet. "Praise our Lady, not me, it was her power that killed the Orcs."

"Are you alright, muinthel?" Aron asked, coming toward me. "That was some power you used." I nodded.

"I am well," I assured him. Haldir stepped forward and bowed.

"My men and I thank you for our lives, my Lady; whether conduit or caster, you saved us." I returned his bow.

"I accept your thanks, unworthy as I may be of it," I replied. I looked to Aron. "The five of us must go." He gave a nod and dropped from the flet to call our mounts. Haldir nodded also.

"We shall stay and continue our duties here; we have a few weeks until our rotation is up," he said, sweeping his hand out to include the other soldiers. "Namáraie, my Lady."

"Namáraie, Haldir," I replied and we braced forearms in a warrior's gesture. "Come friends," I called, "we must be leaving." I leapt down from the flet as the others climbed down. My mare, Aron's stallion and the horses of the others waited patiently by my brother. We were soon heading through the forest at a steady canter; I rode alongside Aron and hastily explained what the Lady wished from us. He replied with a nod.

"Forgive me, my friends, but a pressing matter has come to my attention," he called back to the others, "I must leave you now." He and his stallion broke from us and headed off toward the city. I pondered my Lady's words and reasoning, the steady fall of the horses' hooves provided an easy background for me to lose myself in thought. I did not even notice when Elegost drew alongside me; he startled me when he spoke:

"I knew you had some rank, my Lady," he said, "but I had no idea you were one of Lady Galadriel's hiril-bor." I frowned at him, especially when I realised my other companions were also waiting to hear what I had to say as well.

"It is not meant to be common knowledge outside of Lórien," I replied. "Having a high rank is not always a good thing, especially in the case of our wanting anonymity. However, I possess no more power than any other spirit-summoner, only the power to allow my Lady to work through me. I do not wish my status to alter our, any of our, relationships."

--

I called a halt to our riding somewhere around midnight; I knew not the exact time for the moon could not be seen clearly through the canopy. The adrenaline rush from earlier was leaving me and it was beginning to take a toll. I yawned as a dismounted and almost stumbled, only my obliging mare kept me upright. We lit a fire from the dead-wood on the ground, I made sure nothing live was used, and settled about it. Berethor and Hadhod slept immediately as I assured them there was no need to set a guard. Elegost, though I could tell he was also weary, did not sleep, but asked me to accompany him a short way away.

"Why do we not go into the city?" he finally asked. I sighed softly.

"My Lady forbids it, I know not fully why," I replied. "She gave us the shelter of Lórien for one night only and says we must not tarry. I long to see my friends and my nephew and to sleep in my own bed, but it is not to be. Now, I beg you, please leave me rest, for I am weary." Elegost inclined his head politely, realising I had no further wish to talk, and left me be. I lay down beside Berethor and, despite my raging thoughts, fell quickly into reverie.

--

I dreamed of my Lady; we were walking through the forest, side by side, as we spoke. We spoke of trivial things, things that I did not necessarily wish to speak of at that time, but every time I tried to bring us to more serious things, she would change the topic. It began to frustrate me. I finally insisted on answers. She laughed softly.

"Awaken now, Idrial, my dear," she murmured. I awoke. The sky was still dark and the embers of the fire still glowed slightly. The sound of a near-silent foot-falls sent me leaping to my feet, my sword in hand, but I immediately dropped back to one knee and placed a hand upon my heart in salute as I saw who had invaded our camp.

"My Lady," I murmured. She smiled conspiratorially and winked at me. Elegost had also been woken by the light foot-falls and he knelt, bow still ready and frozen in his hands, as he stared at my Lady who walked lightly and bare-footed through our camp. She held out a hand to him and, seemingly in a trance, he dropped his bow and took hold of it, allowing her to draw him to his feet. They stared into each other's eyes for long before, with a slight flush on his cheeks, Elegost looked away. Well I knew what it felt like to have your mind scrutinised by my Lady, everything you had ever done seemingly laid bare for all to see and judge.

"It is well, Elegost of the Dúnedain," she murmured, "sleep now." The Ranger, still in some sort of trance, lay back down and returned soundly to his sleep. Next, she knelt by Hadhod and touched a hand gently to his shoulder. He shot awake and grabbed for his axe. She reached out and gently laid a hand upon his, urging him to replace the weapon. They shared eye-contact as well for many moments until the Dwarf looked away with a peaceful smile. "May your heart be lighter, Hadhod of Fundin's Clan," she whispered to him, "return to your slumber." Hadhod lay back down again and slipped easily back into sleep. My Lady now approached me, still smiling. She looked down at Berethor, who was sleeping at my side. "Wake him," she bid me softly. I turned to my lover and gently brushed his cheek.

"Berethor," I called, "Berethor, wake now. Someone wishes to speak with you." He slipped from sleep slowly, his eyes flickering lazily open. I pressed my finger to my lips, urging him to silence so he did not reawaken the others, and turned my attention to my Lady. He jerked awake when he saw her, coming quickly to his feet. She held her hands up placating gesture.

"Peace," she spoke, "I mean you no harm. I am the Lady Galadriel." She paused, seeming to consider her next words. "It is well to see you in the flesh, Berethor. You seem hale." His expression became guarded.

"You speak as if you know me, lady," he said. She inclined her head.

"I have seen you often in my Mirror," she replied.

"Your Mirror, my Lady?" he echoed

"It allows me to see things that have been, things that are and some things that have not yet come to be." She walked slowly about him, graceful as a hunting cat, and then came to stand in front of him once more. She reached out and pressed a palm against his cheek, then looked up and met his eyes. They stayed frozen, gazed locked, for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, her hands shot out as Berethor's knees buckled and she lowered him gently down. She knelt in front of him. "Forgive me for tiring you so, my child," she murmured, "but it was necessary. Do not ever lose your conviction, Berethor of Gondor - hold true always. Finish your rest now, for you must leave as soon as Aronel returns to you." She rose easily to her feet, but I had to help Berethor get to his. She smiled softly at me and met my own eyes then. "I know I have been unfair to you Idrial, my dear," she said, "but I must beg you to continue to watch over him. His destiny is inextricably entwined in events to come." I nodded.

"Of course, my Lady," I replied. I never found out exactly what my Lady and Boromir spoke of in the time while their minds were linked, but he held me tightly as we slept that night, and did not let go.

--

Translations:

Tithen-muinthel - little sister

Cáno - commander

Bado mîbo orch - go kiss an Orc

Gwanur - brother

Amin mela lle - I love you

Mithrandir - Gandalf, literally Grey Pilgrim

Muinthel - sister

Mae govannen - well met

Mas Haldir - where (is) Haldir

Neth - young

Elleth - female Elf

Ellon - male Elf

Hiril-bor - attendant to the Lady, handmaiden, literally Lady's-hand

Tangado a chadad - release the arrows

Namáraie - farewell

Dúnedain - rangers, literally Men of the West