Chapter Twenty One: Of Rivers and Mornings

"Let's waste time chasing cars,
Around our heads,
I need your grace,
To remind me to find my own."
- Snow Patrol, Chasing Cars.

Elizabeth twiddled her thumbs, trying desperately to sleep. The mirror vision had shocked her deeply. She had wandered back from the glade a little dazed and met Frodo, who was ostensibly out for a night-time stroll. ("Frodo!" She exclaimed, so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't see him until she was half on top of the poor hobbit. "It feels like hours since we last saw each other." She commented.

His brow puckered, "It

hasbeen hours since we last saw each other."

"Oh.")

"Nnnmmmm!" She groaned, rolling over and pressing the pillow to her face. She inhaled the scent of it. It was the aroma of outside, of summer and the forest. She cracked her knuckles. "Well, it's obvious I'm not getting any sleep tonight." She muttered, swinging her legs off of the couch, she sat on the edge, rubbing her eyes. Why have things been so iffy lately? She wondered. The moon was long past its apex in the sky and the stars were starting to fade. Everyone around her was asleep, even Legolas although he had his eyes open. It was eerily quiet, the occasional twitter of a bird or the rustle of the wind in the trees was the only indicator that there was life still to be found. She deliberately chose not to look at Boromir who had his head turned slightly to her. She sat on the edge for a while, contemplating the Mirror Vision, desperately trying to make some kind of sense out of it. Unfortunately, her head hit the pillow long before anything vaguely rational could spring to mind.

The soft, gentle tones of birdsong roused her from sleep. The morning was raw and pink, so she decided it must be the sunrise. Last night's sleep was deep and dreamless and her rather sour mood had dissipated overnight. She had slept in her travelling clothes, which her covered in dirt, torn and didn't smell too great either. Her rucksack was still in fairly good condition, despite all the scrapes and batterings it had received. She lay still for a moment, watching the sky and listening to the noise she had become accustomed to; Gimli's quiet snoring, Aragorn's soft footsteps as he did whatever rangers do this early in the morning, and the steady breathing of those around her.

"Morning, Merry." Remarked Pippin and by his voice, she could tell he had only just woken.

"Morning, Pippin." Replied Merry. "Gimli snores." Elizabeth stifled a giggle and closed her eyes again.

"Don't I know it!" Exclaimed Pippin. "And Elizabeth says the oddest things in her sleep!" Eh? Oh dear.

"Indeed. I think I heard her say 'cows have underground parties!" Hey! It's a very popular conspiracy! She mentally defended herself. The remainders of sleep ebbed away which, surprisingly, left her a thrumming bow string for the day ahead. She sat up and observed her surroundings. The pavilion looked different in the dawn, and she soon discovered that many things looked different in sunrise because she so rarely up that early.

Why am I awake this early? What the hell do people even do? Hmm, I suppose I'd better say good morning. She cleared her throat. "Good morning, one and all!" She said, clenching her hands over her head like a prizefighter, celebrating her victory over sleep.

Aragorn looked over at her from where he stood. "I take it you slept well?"

She nodded. "Yeah, best night's sleep I've had in ages."

He found this to be an acceptable answer, so she continued, "What's on the agenda for today?" She sat on the edge of the bed, much like she had done before she fell asleep.

"I must meet with the Lord and Lady to discuss the days ahead. You can roam as you please, but," He said, "do your best not to get into any kind of trouble."

She grinned. "Of course not." His eye were doubtful but he let the issue drop, walking away on a beaten path towards the centre of Caras Galadhon. She looked around. Everybody else was asleep, as far as she could tell. Legolas wasn't there.

He's probably prancing about doing whatever Mirkwood Elves do. She snickered at the thought of Legolas prancing. Merry and Pippin must have slipped off without her noticing because she couldn't hear the everyday noise of them eating/singing/generally having fun.

Although, I suppose they won't be having much fun. Her mind supplied. What with Gandalf and all. She felt better about losing Gandalf. She knew he would be reborn and that she would probably be around to see it. Most of the others were still disheartened, unwilling to let go of the past and concentrate on the quest ahead.

A pile of fabric to her right, smelling faintly of rich earth, turned out to be clothes. She looked at them suspiciously, doubtful if they were for her or just left there by coincidence. Shrugging and inferring that Elves didn't leave clothes willy-nilly all over the place at random, she took them and began to search for a place to change. She didn't have to search far. There was a nice thicket that could conceal her nicely. The leggings had clearly previously belonged to a man, so she had to roll them up several times. The shirt was a little big as well but she couldn't bring herself to care.

She dropped her old clothes back at the pavilion. Frodo, Sam and Gimli were now awake and by the look in their eyes, she would say that they were thinking about food. As if to prove her assumption correct, Gimli's stomach rumbled, putting the thunder claps on Caradhras to shame. "Morning." She greeted them, chucking her clothes onto one of the couches.

"Good morning." Said Gimli, yawning. Sam looked up and smiled half-heartedly. Frodo didn't acknowledge her. She didn't take it personally because, in all fairness, she hadn't really talked to him much during this quest. "Where's Aragorn?" Asked Gimli, drawing back her gaze.

"He went to talk to the Lord and Lady." She answered. "And I am going to have a bath." She skipped off, confident that the day ahead would be a good one. If she avoided Boromir and didn't let herself feel anything she didn't want to. She followed a path opposite the one Aragorn had taken, profoundly hoping that there would be heated water and scented soap.

The forest was as beautiful in the sun as it was in the moon. The sky still had a pink tinge to it and the odd rustle of leaves indicated the life that thrived in the undergrowth.

Wow, I actually have a day that doesn't include walking long distances. She thought, Ah, the things I will do... She was now walking adjacent to a river. She followed it for a while, unnerved by all how quiet everything was. She looked left, then looked right. No one was around.

She shrugged and jumped in the river. The water was chilly, hardly touched by the sun, but it was still clean running water. She grinned to herself, dismissive about the fact that she leaped into a river with new clothes on. The water was deep, her feet barely brushing the bottom. She took her hair out from the elastic band that was now stretched with age and tossed it onto the riverbank. She was submerged up to her chin, loose hair floating around her like seaweed.

Dear River, thank you for making me feel like a Mermaid. She gave an experimental kick and was propelled backwards. The dirt clung to her skin and fingernails, but she scrubbed at herself, revealing skin that she previously thought a bit paler. She rubbed her back and felt a scar running along one shoulder blade. She gave up on washing and just soaked in the water.

Closing her eyes, she let the sunlight visible through the trees warm her face and arms. This bliss, however, was short lived because when she finally opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of four elves staring, open-mouthed, at her. Feeling sure-footed, she waved cheerily at them, "Hi! What a delightful river this is! It doesn't smell like people whatsoever." These elves were far too shocked at seeing a human woman bathing in a river with clothes on to generate a response. She tried again. "My birthday was last year. My party involved a cockatoo, a rainbow sports bra and a biker gang conga line. How was your last birthday?"

An elf with long silvery hair merely looked amused. He said, "Suilaid, Nessa Er... Man carel le?" (Hello, Young One... What are you doing?)

Bloody hell, not this situation again. "...Yes?" She said.

"Elizabeth?" She turned her head at the horribly familiar voice.

"Ah, Legolas! How are you this fine morning?"

Legolas raised an eyebrow, unsure if human women usually bathed with clothes on. "I am perfectly well, rest assure." He said. "What are you doing in the river?"

She gave him an odd stare and swam to the bank, cracking her joints as she did so. "Oh, you know, just hunting elephants."

"You are aware that there is a bath house around the corner?"

She glared. "I see you've returned to your normal state of arrogance."

"And I see you have not wavered in your persistent quest to irritate me." He sighed and then spoke rapidly to the group of Elves. They dissipated, some chuckling quietly.

She watched with vague interest and then asked, "What did they say?"

Legolas crouched on the river bank. Elizabeth splashed his ankles with water. He stood back up. "They simply wanted to know what you were doing. You are in a river wearing clothes."

She nodded.

The return of the label maker! "I am. Well observed, young Greenfly."

"It's Greenleaf." He muttered.

She continued, "And anyway, I'm swimming in a river. I no longer have qualms about the situation."