Chapter Twelve: Leaving Lothlórien
When she awoke early the next morning, Willow padded out into the common area of their house to find Buffy sitting thoughtfully on the couch.
"Hey Wil," Buffy said as she saw her standing there. "Galadriel wants to talk to us, I think something's up." They got ready and soon appeared in the Lord and Lady's chambers. Arwen was sitting with them.
After exchanging pleasantries, Galadriel spoke. "You have been here for one year now, and we count ourselves lucky. You have brought joy to all our hearts. Now you are ready to leave this land and continue your journey."
"Where are we going?" Buffy asked, feeling suddenly nervous.
"You will accompany Arwen to Imladris. It is time for her to return to her home, and you are needed there."
"Why are we needed in Imladris? Isn't it another haven?" Willow was curious to know.
"Yes. But one who dwells there will soon be burdened with a heavy destiny. Aarien, you know what this is like, and you must aid him. Arwen needs protection, and I can think of none better than yourselves. Will you do this?"
"Of course," Willow replied.
"Definitely," Buffy said at the same time.
Arwen smiled. "I am so happy you are coming with me! I was not ready to say farewell to my dear friends."
It was decided that they would leave that day. Buffy and Willow were taken to be acquainted with Celeborn's maps, one of which he generously gave to them. Arwen had made the trip before, but she had traveled in a large caravan of elves, and they had taken the long route around the Misty Mountains and through the Gap of Rohan. They were given a choice between this longer passage and a much shorter one that was more dangerous because it passed over the mountains. Haldir felt they could make it without too much trouble as the snow receded considerably in the summer. They left it up to Arwen, and she chose the shorter path.
By late morning, they were ready to leave. Arwen had had clothes designed specially for Buffy and Willow once she'd discovered that they disliked wearing dresses every day. They had several outfits consisting of long pants and tunic tops made from beautiful yet durable elven cloth. They left the clothes they'd brought from L.A. behind with the gowns and other things they'd collected over the past year in Arwen's house. After much debate, they decided to leave the scythe behind. They realized the importance of keeping its presence secret, and they didn't want to chance it falling into the wrong hands. There was no place safer than Caras Galadhon, and after tapping into their powers to conjure a protection spell, they left it in Galadriel's keeping.
Finally, they stood out on the lawn near the fountain, waiting for the Lord and Lady. The young women had learned a small amount of Sindarin, and Buffy was saying goodbye to Haldir and the other Galadhrim that she'd spent time training with. Haldir stepped forward and handed them each a belt with several holsters for daggers and short swords.
"Bye Hal, I'm gonna miss having someone to spar with. Get your smiths to start making cross-bows, OK?" Buffy said. The trio enveloped him in a group hug, much to his surprise.
"Indeed Lady, it is a most ingenious weapon. And it is not farewell yet, I will be accompanying you to the borderlands."
Galadriel and Celeborn joined them, and presented all three with beautiful daggers. The hilts were intricately engraved and each unique. Arwen's had the evenstar symbol. Willow's had a woman/willow tree growing out of the earth, arms to the heavens. Buffy's had a winged female warrior fighting a dragon in the sky.
"They're beautiful," Willow breathed.
"Thank you so much!" Buffy exclaimed. "For EVERYTHING."
"Just promise that you will find your way back to our city," Celeborn smiled.
Galadriel spoke inside their heads. "Thank you, ladies, for accepting me into your lives and hearts. As Arwen calls you sisters, so I call you granddaughters." She reached out to hug them.
"I wish we could stay forever," Buffy murmered.
The Lady spoke out loud this time. "Arwen Undómiel, Aarion Telumehtar, Taserë Kuruni, be you wary! The world is growing ever darker around our small haven. My powers of protection cannot reach you once you pass the borders of our land. If the path over the mountains seems too perilous, do not hesitate to turn back and take the longer way."
The four meandered slowly out of the city, as no one was particularly interested in hurrying. Buffy and Willow were both sad to leave Lórien and scared of what harsher places their future would certainly take them; Arwen was sorry to be leaving, but excited to see her home and kin; and Haldir was enjoying this brief respite from his normal duties. They walked in relative silence for an hour or so, until finally Willow spoke.
"We should get in Scooby mode now, while we're still safe," she said. Arwen had heard enough to know what Scooby meant, but Haldir looked confused.
"It's hard to plan a defense when we don't know what we're defending against," Buffy replied.
"I know, but…we could make up scenarios! Like… say a band of orcs attacks. What do we do?"
"I need more specifics, Wil."
"Like what?" Willow asked. By this time, Arwen and Haldir were just watching the two of them, and smiling.
"Like, how many orcs? Are there civilians around? What's the terrain like? Are there trees or buildings or mountains or rivers? How many weapons do I have, and what kind? Who's with me and what do they have? Are the orcs just gettin' rampage-y, or do they want something from us? Are there more hidden somewhere? Are we hiding anything?" Buffy trailed off, still thinking, and then noticed Arwen and Haldir laughing gently at her.
"Oops," Willow said quietly. She turned to the other two. "My mistake, I called out the slayer."
"How do you put her back?" Arwen asked.
"Say Buffy," Willow began innocently, "Do you remember that black, leather skirt you wanted to buy in L.A.?"
Buffy's eyes instantly cleared. "Mmm Hmm, with the silk lining and the slit up the side?" The other three laughed out loud. "What were we talking about?"
"Defense strategies, but you went into Battlebot mode so I called it off." She snickered at Buffy, and the slayer growled back.
The first night, still safe in the heart of Lórien, they slept on the ground. At dusk on the second day, they reached a large river and crossed over on a temporary bridge. They slept that night in a talan. Having spent a year getting used to such contraptions, they easily climbed up. The following day, they rose with the sun, and by mid-morning, they reached the edge of Lórien. As they stared out from the line of trees, they could see a barely discernible road stretching away towards the mountains. Buffy and Willow both felt a sudden prick of fear. This was a whole new kind of monster. From here on out, they were strangers trying to find their way through an alien land. Instinctively, they grabbed each other's hands and held on tight as Haldir gave them parting advice.
"I would not stop for the night until you are above the Dimrill Stair. Moria has been quiet of late, but I do not trust it."
Buffy forced her fears down. "Thanks Hal, you've been a big help." They all hugged the March Warden again, and this time he hugged them back, smiling slightly.
"Take care of each other. I like not that you are so few, but Galadriel may be right that you will draw less attention this way."
They left Haldir at the edge of the woods, and gamely began their march towards Caradhras. The road, while pitted and overgrown, was still easier to walk on than the vale around them, so they stuck to it. They were all visibly weighed down by their worries and fears, so Buffy forced herself to perk up.
Slinging her arms around their shoulders she drawled, "So who'd have thought it? Two women and a she-elf take a cross-country trip, ALONE, through Middle E. The dead kings must be rolling over in their graves."
"Buffy!" Arwen shrieked, not sure whether to be outraged or amused.
"Just tryin' to lighten the load," she replied.
"I am not a she-elf," Arwen protested. "It sounds so…"
"Hillbilly?" Buffy supplied.
"I do not know what that means, but yes."
"She's right, though," Willow inserted. "Sometimes you have to say to yourself, 'Self, it's time to shake and shimmy it off.'" She wiggled her butt suggestively.
Arwen shook her head at them. "This is going to be a long trip."
They continued on at the brisk pace Haldir had set, mindful of his words. As the trio fell silent again, Buffy became watchful, sometimes turning in full circles as she walked. The others noted this with some unease, but finally realized she was simply attuning herself to their surroundings. They traveled for several more hours before stopping for lunch on the banks of the Silverlode. Flopping down on the ground tiredly, they ate some of the dried meats and fruit they'd packed.
"How are you guys doing?" Buffy asked as she refilled her water bottle in the river. "Are your feet OK?"
"Those damned mountains aren't getting any closer," Willow grumbled as a response.
"My feet are fine, Aarien," Arwen replied.
Buffy perked up at the mention of her new name. "I guess we should start using them now, right?"
"You mean no more 'aren't you naturally buff, Buff?' jokes?" Willow sighed sadly.
"Yeah, cuz I'm SO gonna miss the endless jokes about my name. Even the Guardian thought it was lame. And then there's your mom calling me Bunny. Only she could find the one name LESS scary than mine. Bunny the Vampire Slayer." Arwen giggled at Buffy's tirade.
"What about Anya?" Willow asked. "She'd be scared of Bunny the Vampire Slayer."
"Anya the vengeance demon?" Arwen asked, puzzled.
"Well, she had bunny fear," Willow explained.
Buffy turned to Willow, eyes sparkling. "Remember when Xander told her to dress up as something scary for that Halloween party and she came in a giant bunny outfit?" They both laughed.
"I miss Anya," Willow said. "Isn't that weird? We spent most of our time nagging each other."
"I miss her, too. It seems like there was always something in the way of us becoming good friends."
"You mean like how you tried to kill her?" Willow replied, and Arwen's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Hey, I was doing my job. She was all vengeance-y again, and she killed those frat boys. And she refused to stop."
"I know. I was just making with the jokes, Ri." (pronounced 'ree') At Buffy's confused look, "Aarion --- Ri."
"Oh. Whatever TAS." She stuck her tongue out at her friend.
They rose and began walking again. Buffy resumed her watchfulness. After she'd been staring hard into the distance for several moments, Willow interrupted her.
"Do you see something?" she asked.
"No, it's not that," Buffy responded. "I don't exactly hear anything either, more like I FEEL it. That way," she pointed.
"Arwen, do you feel anything?" Willow asked, knowing the elf had the amazingly enhanced senses of her kind.
"I do. But I know not what it is."
"Figures it would have to be in the direction we're going," Willow complained.
Had someone spotted them as they continued along the road, they would have been surprised that these three swift creatures were female. Arwen had the natural grace of the elves, and seemed not at all bothered by hours of endless walking. Buffy was in top slayer form, and her feet only bothered her slightly. Willow was also doing fairly well. She'd asked Buffy about six months ago to start training her like a potential. As a result, her skills with weapons had improved, and she was in much better shape. Late that afternoon, they paused for rest in a dell where a new stream joined the river beside them. They sat and watched the water bubble and splash over the rocks, and refilled their water bottles again.
Buffy pulled out the map and squinted at the mountain range in front of them. "Huh," she mumbled.
"How's it lookin', Ri?" Willow asked.
"See those three peaks that are higher than the rest? The furthest away is Cara…Caradhras," Buffy stumbled over the pronunciation.
"Yes, that is where we cross the mountains," said Arwen.
"But it's so high," Willow gulped.
They rose and began walking swiftly again along the road. The closer they got to the mountains, the more Buffy felt that something was off. "I'm starting to think it's coming from there," she pointed at Caradhras.
"Beneath those mountains lies Moria," Arwen explained. "It is said that the Dwarves delved too deep for mithril there."
"Is anyone there now?" Willow asked.
"I know not. 2000 years ago, the Dwarves awoke a Balrog. Those that were not slain fled. There are whispers of late that Sauron has sent orcs and trolls there."
"Balrog?" Buffy was curious.
"It does not do to speak of such things so near," Arwen replied firmly, and they fell silent again. Buffy and Willow shivered, feeling like children that had just been told a ghost story. An hour later, they reached Dimrill Dale. They paused beside a long mere and consulted the map again. Looking down into the dark waters, Willow suddenly noticed something strange.
"Hey guys, look at this."
The other two joined her and looked down into the water. "Woah," Buffy exclaimed. The waters of the mere showed their surroundings perfectly, but no trace of the three travelers could be seen. "Alright, let's jet. It's gonna be dark soon."
They continued along the road and reached the Gates of Moria at dusk. Turning northward, they could see stone stairs leading up into the mountains. Water flowed out over them in a serious of falls. A path ran parallel to the falls, and they began to gingerly climb their way up. They kept climbing until it was fully dark. Arwen and Buffy could still see quite well, so they located a copse of trees out of sight from the vale below where they could stop. Still feeling leery of being so near to the Gates, they didn't light a fire that night. They simply spread out their bedding and set up a watch.