Chapter Seventeen: Enter Cliffhangers and Plot Points

DISCLAIMER: Today, I ate a bowl of cheerios using only chopsticks. Enough said.

Author's Note: YAY! IT'S SUMMER! I got out of school an hour ago and I'm not going back for three months :D Do you guys wanna hear my plans for summer? Of course you do! Because one sided conversations rock!

Here goes: Tomorrow, I'm getting on a plane and going to a beach for a week. After that, I come back home and have a month of blissful nothingness (aka watching Doctor Who and Merlin, writing, sleeping way too much, and re reading Harry Potter like I do every summer). Then I have two different writing camps I'm going to. One's at a local college and lasts for two weeks, and the other is in an entirely different state. I will get to live on a college campus in a dorm for three weeks. It will be the longest I've ever been away from home before. I'm so excited!

Random Quote: "The government of England was a limited mockery. Queen Elizabeth was the "Vir-gin Queen but still produced hairs. As a queen she was a success. For example, her and her navy went out and defeated the Spanish Armadillo." ~Student Bloopers

Estela and Adonnenniel woke early on the morning before the day of their departure from Lothlorien.

"I can't believe that we're leaving tomorrow. I actually liked it here," Adonnenniel sighed.

"Yes," Estela agreed. "Being here was like taking a break from reality and living in a dream momentarily. Now we must leave and face the quest once more."

Adonnenniel giggled. "You're talking like an Elf again. Stop it, it's weird."

Estela laughed. "I am not doing it intentionally. It simply slips from my tongue as smoothly as morning dew melting from a flower…"

"Alrighty then, now you're doing that on purpose. You're weird. If anyone asks, we're not related."

"Yes, I believe we have established that already. That I'm weird, I mean. And just for the record, I totally just alliterated on purpose."

Adonnenniel snorted. "Dork."

"So are you coming with me and Legolas to the archery range?" Estela asked doubtfully.

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I'm going to hang out with Belle and the hobbits. Have fun with Legolas." Adonnenniel wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Estela rolled her eyes. "Shush up. It's not like we're dating or anything. We're just…friends. Close friends who—"

"—Who have talked for hours nonstop, take long walks in a forest together, spend three hours every day in a library, and blatantly flirt. Close friends who have a completely dorky but somehow adorable relationship. Close friends who I'm pretty sure made out that one night—"

"We did not make out!" Estela fumed. "I told you already, we were just hugging. Seriously."

Adonnenniel put her hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, whatever you say. But you are so digging him. You know you want to do more than hug him, sweetheart."

Estela flushed. "So what if I do? It's none of your business."

"Ha!" Adonnenniel jumped up. "So you admit it! You so want to kiss him. You're in love. Ha! Who would have thought it? You! You're the most cynical, logical, and anti-romantic person I know. Remember that time when we were watching Stardust and you puked?"

"I did so not puke, just stop. And I actually liked that movie."

"Well, you looked like you were going to. Right during one of Yvaine's monologues. Remember? Or what about that time when I got you a set of Twilight Barbie dolls for your birthday as a joke and you snapped Bella in half to symbolize how spineless her character was. And then you stripped Edward and stuck him in Hufflepuff robes. Admit it. You have gone from being a freaky feminist to falling in love with a guy who looks like a gay fairy."

Estela glared at her sister momentarily.

Just then, a knock sounded at their door.

"You get it!" Estela hissed. "I'm still in my nightgown!"

Adonnenniel walked to the door. As soon as she opened it, she started laughing. "Well, doesn't that just figure." She giggled immoderately. "Hey, Estela!" she called. "Guess who it is?"

Estela rushed over to her sister, yanking her back from the doorway. She looked up, her face flushed, and saw Legolas staring at her with an amused expression.

"I came to your room because normally you meet me half an hour before this time. Do you still wish to go?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Umm…I…Just give me a minute, I'll be right out," she squeaked, very aware that she was wearing only a sheer nightgown. She hastily shut the door and spun around to face her sister. "You! I am going to kill you when I get back. You are so dead." Adonnenniel exploded into a fresh fit of giggles.

"Come on, you have to admit that was hilarious! And besides, it's not like he didn't already know you like him." Adonnenniel trilled. Estela pulled a fresh dress on, and made shushing motions in her sister's general direction. She went to the mirror, and tried to make her hair somewhat presentable.

"See? Now you're messing with your hair before you see him. You are so in loooooove!"

Estela walked resolutely from the room, trying to ignore her sister's laughter following her and Legolas as they walked down the hallway.

They walked in silence until they reached the path to the archery range. Estela was embarrassed beyond belief, and too afraid to speak. Occasionally she peered up at Legolas, and saw that he too looked distracted, though it did not seem to be for the same reason. Every time he so much as glanced in her direction, Estela looked away and felt her face flush.

"What is the matter?" Legolas suddenly stopped walking. "Your looks are distraught."

Estela, caught up in her thoughts and not having anticipated his sudden stop, promptly bumped into him and fell backwards. She landed ungracefully on her back. "Ouch," she muttered, sitting up and brushing the grass off her back.

Legolas reached out a hand to help her up, and she accepted it. For a moment, his lips twitched as if he were trying not to laugh, and then that distracted look appeared on his features again.

"Well, that was embarrassing," she said. They walked in silence for a moment, and then he spoke suddenly.

"Estela, you are acting somewhat distant. Please tell me what is bothering you. Are you upset we are leaving Lothlorien tomorrow?"

Estela decided honesty was the best policy. She suddenly thought of all the romance novels she had read in which the heroine never told the guy what she was actually thinking. She definitely did not want to be like that.

She took a deep breath. "I'm upset because we're leaving, but also because…Well, did you hear what my sister and I were saying before?"

"Yes. I heard your entire conversation, actually," he said bluntly.

"What?"

"Do not feel embarrassed." Legolas laughed. "It was amusing and informative. I am grateful to have heard it."

"Informative," she repeated faintly.

"Come, let us go to the archery range. We will have less time today as it is." They walked in silence the rest of way, and Estela spent nearly the entire archery practice praying that Legolas would just forget everything that had happened earlier.

And yet beneath her thoughts and lingering embarrassment, she dimly noticed that Legolas seemed different, somehow. She couldn't place her finger on it, but he seemed to look almost guilty…Every time she looked at him directly, he would avert his gaze. When they walked back through the forest later, he did not initiate conversation with her, but rather looked pointedly ahead and remained silent.

"This is our last lunch here, guys," Adonnenniel said solemnly.

"I wish we were not leaving quite so soon," Frodo said.

"I agree," Adonnenniel sighed. "This has been my favorite part of our little adventure so far. I'm scared of what will happen once we leave. I definitely don't want another Moria experience."

A distant look passed over Frodo's face, and Adonnenniel watched as he closed his eyes and stood up from the table. He walked away, and then Sam put down the piece of bread he had been nibbling on and hurriedly followed him.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked, bewildered and concerned.

"No," Pippin replied. "Mr. Frodo has much to deal with. It's best to let him be."

"Oh," she realized. "You mean the Ring?"

Merry nodded in response.

Sensing it was a sensitive subject, Adonnenniel let the topic drop. She glanced over the table, looking for more dragon fruit. She must have eaten at least three full ones since she'd been here.

"Ah ha!" she said happily, reaching for one she spotted on the other end of the table. She had by now mastered the art of slicing them. She made one skillful incision vertically, and then sliced it into smaller wedges. She looked up, and saw Merry staring at her.

"Want one?" she offered.

"No, thank you. I'm sorry. Excuse me," he said. Abruptly, him and Pippin stood up and left.

Adonnenniel sighed, and ate her dragon fruit in solitude.

At the other end of the table, Estela was sitting across from Boromir and Aragorn, with Legolas beside her. She kept glancing up at Boromir, and then averting her eyes. Fear was building within her. She hadn't even thought of Boromir's death until just now…It's imminence had hit her in a wave of undiluted shock and fear. She had not forgotten her resolve to save him, and now that they were leaving tomorrow and the dilemma was impending, she was scared…Scared that it would not work, and frightened of the consequences if it did work. What if it meant that Merry and Pippin weren't taken by the Orcs? Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas might not meet Gandalf in Fangorn. Merry might not convince Treebeard to entice the Ents to join the battle against Saruman…

Or if Merry and Pippin were taken and all else played out as it should, would Boromir's obsession with the Ring begin to increase? He might never have that pivotal moment of repentance and epiphany. He might endanger the quest, or try to attack Frodo again…And if her plan to save him did not work…She did not even want to start thinking about that. It would be unbearable, and she would never forgive herself.

So caught up in these thoughts was Estela that she failed to notice Legolas was likewise distracted, as he had been earlier this morning. He would not so much as look at her, and he left the table early.

After she had finished eating lunch, Estela went back to her room instead of going to the library or to the practice grounds. They were leaving Lothlorien at dawn the following morning, and she still needed to pack.

Adonnenniel and Estela met in their room, and gathered the few items they might need for the quest.

"You really don't need that," Estela sighed as Adonnenniel tried to stuff a second hairbrush into her bag.

"Yes, I do. And you'll be glad I brought it. What if I lose one of them?"

Estela rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Trust me. You'll thank me for this later. Also, I'm packing some of the towels. I know you're not supposed to give away anything major, but will there be places where we can bathe for this part of the journey? Like rivers or something?"

Estela hesitated briefly, and then said, "Yes. There will be. But we will also need to travel quite lightly at times. I don't recommend bringing so many things."

Adonnenniel seemed not to have heard her. "Belle told me we could pack dresses if we wanted to. Do you want me to pack the pink one or the brown one for you?"

"Brown," Estela said briefly, returning to her own packing. She didn't have that much to pack. Since her overalls had vanished, she literally had nothing from her journey…Nothing at all from back home.

Feeling unexpectedly emotional, Estela excused herself and went into the washroom. She stared at herself in the mirror, and realized suddenly that she was an entirely different person now…She even looked different, even more so than when she had first glimpsed her reflection when they had first arrived in Lothlorien. Her eyes looked as if someone had painted over them with a richer hue of bronze. Her hair was likewise a more vivid auburn color, and had grown even longer.

Estela shook herself mentally, and splashed water on her face before emerging from the washroom.

"Do you think I should bring a pillow?" Adonnenniel asked her. "I would stuff the whole freaking mattress in here if I could. Sleeping on the ground was not fun."

"No, I don't think a pillow is necessary," Estela replied as she returned to her bag. "You should save the room for a cloak or a light blanket. And be sure to pack only long sleeved dresses, by the way. It will be cold at night."

"Alright," Adonnenniel sighed, unpacking the pink dress.

Estela stared at it. "What did you do to that dress?" she laughed. "It looks like you took a knife to it."

"Long dresses get annoying," Adonnenniel said defensively. She suddenly looked worried. "Do you think anyone will be offended that I cut it, though?"

Estela shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Just pack the blue one you wore while we were first here instead."

"Okay," Adonnenniel nodded.

"Estela?" said a sudden voice. Estela looked up from her packing, and saw Legolas at the door for the second time that day. "I wish to speak with you," he said stiffly, sounding unusually formal.

"You may speak with me," she said, matching his tone and giving him a smile which he did not return. He led her out the door and down the hallway in silence. When they reached the top of the staircase, he abruptly stopped walking. She promptly bonked into him. Again.

"You really need to stop doing that," she mumbled.

"Estela, there is something I must tell you, though I fear you will not take it well." He sounded strange, and somehow distant. He looked not at her but at the staircase stretching out beneath them.

"Just tell me," Estela said, bracing herself. Knowing someone's thoughts was always better than having to guess at them.

"Aragorn and I have discussed this matter at length and we have agreed that it would be best if you and your sister did not accompany us tomorrow morning. You should stay here, where you will be safe and not endanger the Fellowship," he said blandly.

Estela laughed. "You realize that's ridiculous, right? I will not be left behind." She paused. "And I will miss your company."

He spoke slowly. "Yes, and that is another matter which I mean to talk with you about. We have grown close throughout our travels and during our time in Lothlorien. But I fear that you misperceive my intents in our friendship."

Estela felt like he had slapped her. She nearly flinched away from him, but instead stood her ground and stared at him levelly.

"I am interested in nothing more than friendship with you, Estela." He looked at her directly. "Tomorrow morning, you will stay here with your sister. Galadriel has agreed to devise a way to return you and Adonnenniel home."

"You don't mean that," Estela said. She searched his face some kind of softness, but all she found was blank impassiveness.

"Yes, I do. This world is not for you. Stay here, Estela. Stay here and then return home."

Estela felt something in her snap. Yet somehow, despite the situation, she found herself thinking coherently and forming a plan. She did not cry, and did not allow her emotions to get the better of her.

"Ae anírach," she said plainly. "Mára mesta, Legolas." With that, she walked away from him, willing herself to not look back.

(If you wish) (Farewell)

Coming Up Next!

-Not telling!

Another Author's Note: There's this hilarious interview between Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and Elijah Wood (Frodo) that they put on the special features DVD for the Two Towers. It's on youtube and you should watch it beacuse it's absolutely hilarious :)