Chapter Twenty Five: Dreams about Dark Forests and a Tiara

Brief Recap: Estela got hit with a dagger during the little Rohan fist fight scuffle. (Could not think of another way to phrase that…)

Random Quote: "Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better."
~George W. Bush, US President

In the dream, an aerial view of a vast forest spread beneath Estela's line of sight. It reached into the distance, eerily dark and never ending. The canopy of the forest was a thick layer of gnarled tree branches intertwining in a deformed, grotesque sort of way. The treetops were broad and wide, their arms encircling the earth beneath the forest under a dome of pure darkness. So thick was the canopy of tangled branches that no starlight filtered through them. As Estela watched, a large shape stirred in the darkness. It was some sort of creature, immense and powerfully built, with long limbs that became discernible as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Estela felt fear rise within her, and then the scene shifted to a different forest…

The nighttime air was cool and still. There was no breeze, and the trees stood as if paralyzed, their limbs rigid and their leaves curling towards the sky as if praying for rain. On the outskirts of the forest stood a woman with flame red hair. In the palm of her hand she held a tiara. It was a small object, its design of interwoven leaves simple and its surface a sheen silver hue. Smiling faintly, the woman closed her eyes, and then placed the tiara on her head and vanished. The tiara did not disappear along with her, however. It fell to the ground and lay silently on the ground, as if biding its time, waiting for someone else to stumble upon it….

Estela woke gasping. The dream had been incredibly vivid and realistic. It took several long moments for her to compose her muddled thoughts and think clearly. The bed beneath her was warm, the sheets a pale white and the mattress soft. She raised her head and looked around at her surroundings. She was in a small room that was sparsely furnished with a single wooden dresser, a chair next to the bedside, and a small table adorned with an emerald green cloth. A tray of assorted fruits and bread lay on the table. Slanted rays of light filtered through a small window lined with olive green curtains.

For a moment, Estela was quite confused and could not figure out where she was. And then everything came back in a rush…The fight, the sword hitting the back of her head, and the dreams. The dreams…Suddenly, they were slipping away from her. What had a moment ago been so vividly sharp was fading fast in her memory. She tried to hold onto the images, but it was like trying to hold water in cupped hands.

After a moment, Estela mentally shook herself and willed herself to just forget about it. Now recalling vividly what had happened before she had passed out, she tentatively raised a hand to her wound. There was a bandage secured tightly around her head. Beneath it, the wound throbbed dully like a horrible headache.

"Oh! You are awake," said a startled voice from behind her. She whirled around, and saw a tall woman with long blonde hair standing in the doorway.

"Eowyn!" Estela said excitedly, momentarily forgetting her headache.

"I can see what they have told me regarding you is true," Eowyn smiled. "You know my name."

"Yes," Estela confirmed, grinning widely. She had always admired Eowyn's character, and meeting her was both strange and exhilarating.

Eowyn walked brusquely into the room and sat down on the small chair beside the bed. "In that case, I suppose you already know this, but the King's mind has been restored, and the Kingdom is as it should be once more."

"Awesome," Estela beamed happily, sitting up straight and facing Eowyn. Something about the whole situation was making her rather giddy. "I'm so happy for you. You must have missed your uncle dearly."

"Yes, I did," she said. "His presence and rule was sorely missed through the entirety of Rohan. He is a great man."

Estela looked at Eowyn intently, and then said the first thing that popped into her mind. "You know, Eowyn, you have no idea how refreshing it is to be in the presence of a female right now," she said seriously. "Imagine traveling with a bunch of men for months. It'll be nice to have some estrogen around."

Eowyn smiled. "I do not imagine your journey would have been so horrible. You were accompanied by your sister, were you not?"

"Yes, but we were separated back in Fangorn." Estela suddenly realized something. "I haven't seen one female since then," she said in mild shock.

Eowyn suddenly laughed. "You are quite cheerful," she commented. "It is somewhat contagious."

Estela chuckled. "You should have seen me back in Moria. I wasn't so cheerful then."

Eowyn smiled warmly at her, prompting Estela to keep talking. "You know how to sword fight, right?"

"I have some proficiency in swordsmanship," Eowyn said. "Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking maybe you could help instruct me, actually," Estela admitted. "I need the practice, but I don't want to bother Aragorn about it again." Estela winced, remembering how horribly her weapons training had fared back in Lothlorien.

"Very well." Eowyn stood, and walked over to the small table in the middle of the room. "Are you hungry?"

Estela suddenly realized that she was in fact quite hungry. "Yes, actually."

Eowyn picked up the tray of food, and placed it on Estela's lap. "Thanks," Estela gushed, eagerly attacking the food. She was absolutely ravenous. As she bit into a large slice of cheese questions started bubbling in her mind. "Who hit me?" she asked. "Was it someone in particular, or just some miscellaneous solider who decided tossing a dagger into that little scuffle would be a good idea?"

"The latter," Eowyn replied.

Estela nearly choked on her cheese. "I was joking, but okay. It's nice to know that it was just one idiot and not someone actually trying to kill me."

"Well, I rather think he was aiming to distract the others from the fight, although it was nearly over already."

"Great," she groaned. "Now I'm a liability in fights. Better watch out for stray daggers. Maybe they should give me a shield," she pondered. "A really big one like the ones the Spartans have in 300."

Eowyn gave her a confused look.

"Sorry," Estela said. "I'm rambling. My thoughts are a bit disoriented."

"I should leave you to rest," Eowyn said seriously. She started walking towards the door. "Do let me know if there is anything you require."

"Okay, thanks!" Estela said, watching as Eowyn left the room and closed the door, leaving Estela alone with her thoughts once more.

Eowyn's appearance had been a kind distraction, but as soon as she left, Estela's headache returned. She stood up from her bed, having finished the food, and set the empty tray back on the table. She walked over to the window, propped it open, and leaned against the window sill. Her room overlooked a vast field, and in the distance were rows of stables. The smell of grass and…well…horse excretion…wafted through the window.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in the back of her head. She gasped, and blindly stumbled back to her bed. After a few moments the pain subsided, but it left her feeling quite tired.

Just then, she heard the door creak open once more. Legolas entered the room, leaving the door ajar behind him. He walked swiftly to her bedside. "How do you fare?" he asked worriedly. "Eowyn informed me that you had woken."

"I'm feeling pretty refreshed right now, actually," Estela said untruthfully. The last thing she wanted was for him to start fussing over her. "How about you?"

"I am well. Merely concerned for your wellbeing. I should not have allowed any harm to come to you." He looked upset.

"Hey," she shrugged, "It's not your fault. I should have been paying more attention. We were in the middle of a fight and I let myself get distracted."

Legolas sat down on the chair next to her bed. "Are you quite sure you are well? Your looks are pale."

"Trust me, I'm fine." He stared at her as if he did not quite belief her yet.

Estela sighed, and abruptly changed the subject. "So when is everyone leaving for Helms Deep?" she asked.

As a look of confusion flickered across Legolas' face, Estela realized with a jolt that maybe Theoden hadn't yet decided to take refuge in Helms Deep. She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Umm…Can you just kind of erase that from your memory for now?" she asked sheepishly.

Legolas looked startled. "They will flee for Helms' Deep? That is madness!"

Estela remained silent, knowing she couldn't say anything without giving away more future events.

Legolas stood up suddenly, his eyebrows furrowing and his mouth set in a tight line. "Surely Theoden sends his people to their deaths if they do indeed make for Helms Deep! This is utter folly!"

Estela giggled, and Legolas looked at her oddly.

"Sorry," she grinned. "You just said 'utter folly'. Haha." Another giggle escaped her lips. Estela realized somewhere in the back of her mind that she should be at least mildly concerned about having given away a major event. However, she felt light headed, and her thoughts were becoming even more muddled.

"Estela," Legolas said apprehensively, "Perhaps you are still tired. I should go and leave you to rest."

"No," she said quickly. "I'm fine." She didn't want him to leave.

As if sensing her thoughts, Legolas smiled and walked back to her bedside. He placed a hand on her forehead. "You are warm," he frowned. "And you look quite tired. Perhaps you should sleep."

Estela was about to protest, but then realized that she was in fact very tired. Her headache had reduced to a dull throb, but her body felt exhausted and sore, as if she had run a marathon. "Alright," she conceded.

Legolas leaned over her and kissed her forehead lightly. "If you are not yet awake before dinnertime, I will come and rouse you."

Estela willed herself not to giggle again. She wondered if that word had the same double meaning here as it did back home. Judging from the look on Legolas' face, however, it did not. She started laughing, putting her hands over her mouth to try and stifle the giggles.

Legolas stared confusedly at her momentarily, and then assumed an air of seriousness. "Estela, you are acting quite erratic. Perhaps that sword hit your head a little too hard." He wore a relatively straight face, but a slight twitching of his lips betrayed that he was teasing her.

For a brief moment, Estela just gaped at him. He had just made a joke.

Recovering from her initial shock, Estela sat up straighter and matched his teasing tone. "Oh my!" she gasped, feigning shock. "Perhaps it did and this entire conversation is just a byproduct of my head injure. In fact, I reckon I must be imagining this, considering that you just made a joke. So out of character, Legolas," she shook her head.

"If you were imagining this," he said seriously, "Then it would not be so normal. You have quite a strange mind, after all. I fear to think of what it would concoct."

"You're right," she nodded grimly. "If I were imagining this, we'd be at the circus and you'd be wearing a ballerina outfit with pink slippers."

Okay, she thought, Maybe I did hit my head a bit too hard.

Legolas stared at her oddly. "I do not think I will ask you to explain that."

"Good decision. It's a pretty bizarre image."

They sat in silence for several moments, and in the silence Estela remembered something crucial. She felt a brief flare of anger at him, thinking that perhaps he had been joking with her to make her forget the earlier part of their conversation.

"I should leave," Legolas said after a moment.

He turned around to walk away, but before he could take two steps Estela grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. She looked at him intently, holding his gaze levelly. "You must promise me that you will not reveal what I accidently let slip about Helms Deep. Okay? I don't want to be responsible for altering the course of events."

He stared at her directly, and then spoke slowly. "If I choose to confide in Aragorn or Gandalf, the repercussions would be solely my responsibility, Estela." He made to walk away from her once more.

"No," she said sharply, tightening her hold on his wrist and speaking rapidly. "Please trust me on this. You must not tell anyone. Please. You have no idea what could happen."

Something in her urgent tone must have gotten through to him, because his gaze softened and he appeared to be considering her words. "Very well," he relented.

As soon as Legolas left, exhaustion hit her hard. With a jolt, she remembered her dreams from earlier. Her brief encounter with Eowyn and her conversation with Legolas had effectively driven all forlorn thoughts from her mind. She sighed, and considered calling after Legolas to ask him what he thought about her dreams. But then her tiredness made the decision for her, and she closed her eyes, figuring she could always tell him later. She leaned heavily into her bed, relishing how comfortable it was to finally sleep on a real mattress again, and within minutes she was asleep.

Coming Up Next!

-Bickering hobbits!

-Fashion lessons!

-Sword fighting!

Author's Note: Review? Por favor? :)