AN: Hello again, and before you scream at me, I know it's been a while (20 days but whose counting?) but I am slowing this story down as I do have exams, and I have them for over the next month, but I do try and update- at least give me points for that!
As always, I love the people who review and I send them virtual cupcakes (because who doesn't like cupcakes?) and to all the people who have favourited or followed this story. Or both. I especially like people who do all three :)
Disclaimer: I think we all know who owns Middle earth... that's right ladies and gentlemen, not me.
Forest of Light
Rosalie felt numb, not feeling the sharp stones stabbing her feet, the cold water soaking through her shoes or the aches in her legs from jogging for so long. They had fled from the hills, silently jogging in the direction of a forest, the emerald green trees spreading outwards, branches reaching for new land. The grief hung over them, like a cloud, an invisible force weighing them down. They all stayed close together, Boromir's hand never leaving his sword, but Rosalie had never felt so alone.
Gandalf had been their glue; the stubborn, slightly crazy, old wizard that held them together- sometimes a little too tight, Rosalie thought to herself, a small smile trying to fight its way onto her lips. Both Aragorn and Legolas had visibly relaxed when the rolling forest came closer to them, inviting them in.
After they had reached the fringe of the forest, the company slowed down, walking gently through the undergrowth. Rosalie silently marvelled the life around her, from small twisting plants, curling comfortably around tree trunks to the quiet buzz of insects working. The Hobbits were staring at everything as wide-eyed as she was; something that threatened to bring a smile to her lips.
Gimli seemed to be the only one unimpressed, huffing and scowling at plant life, as if he could stop them blooming. Even Frodo's mask of blank sadness had been broken a few times by the magic of the forest.
Then, there was silence and Rosalie slowed down. It wasn't true silence- she could hear bird songs and the light crunch of her foot falls and the sounds of the life of the forest. Though, there was a deadly silence, as if this were a movie, the one right before the hero's were ambushed and a giant fight broke out. The rest of the company moved ahead of her, Gimli and the Hobbits leading them. Boromir turned back to her, motioning with his head to hurry up and the girl's eyes darted around her, but she did as the man asked.
"Stay close, young Hobbits," The dwarf's booming voice rang out, "They say a great sorceress lives in these woods- an elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell. " Legolas shot a disgusted look at Gimli, who failed to notice it. "Actually sounds kind of cool." Rosalie mumbled and Aragorn looked at her strangely for a moment before looking ahead again, smiling. "And are never seen again." Gimli finished dramatically and Rosalie felt her eyes roll. "Thought it was a little early for scary ghost stories," Aragorn snorted lightly, looking down at his feet, still smiling.
"Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily," Gimli was practically growling and Rosalie felt the tiny smile on her face grow wider. "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox- ooh!" She whipped her head round at the noise Gimli made, stopping quickly and her eyes landed on the three arrow heads pointed at her. She stared straight down the arrow shaft and then glanced at the stony elven face behind it and gulped. "Guess you decided not to use those eyes or ears Gimli." Everyone heard her voice shake, the girl still staring at the elf holding the bow in front of her but that didn't stop Gimli from glaring at her from the corner of his eyes.
"A dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark," Every slick word was laced with contempt as one blonde elf strolled forward, sneering down at Gimli. The dwarf just stared up darkly at him and slowly, the elf's eyes drifted over the rest of the Fellowship, as if he was bored. His eyes stopped at Rosalie and slowly glided towards her hair before narrowing insignificantly. Rosalie met his gaze and held it as the elf spoke in his waterfall language. Aragorn responded in kind and the elf turned his head sharply, but then smiled, almost kindly, at the ranger. Legolas looked between the pair, something in his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips while the Hobbits, Rosalie and Boromir glanced at each other, confused. Gimli just scowled at the elf in front of him.
"Aragorn! These woods are perilous! We should turn back!" Gimli said, still staring hard at the elf in front of him. He sneered at the dwarf before replying, "You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot go back. Come, she is waiting."
All the elves immediately lowered their bows and simply turned, walking away quickly and most of the company exchanged looks before cautiously following behind. Just like how the elven warriors never let go of their bows, Boromir's and Gimli's hands never left their weapons, eyes focused on the elves around them. The elves wove gracefully between the trees, as if the forest changed to suit them, not the other way round.
The Fellowship were led to a set of polished, smooth wooden stairs spiralling around a tree trunk, as if they had been carved from the tree itself. The elf leading them turned his golden head and beckoned for them to climb them. Again, his eyes lingered on her ponytail and as she began to climb, she heard a few whispers in Elvish and a quiet laugh, feeling eyes on the back of her blue head. The girl felt her cheeks burn and she ducked her head down, focusing on the silky wood under her feet. From under her eyelashes, she noticed Aragorn and Legolas look back at her sympathetically and she felt her embarrassment double, realising they understood what the elves were saying.
Where are we going? Rosalie wondered and looked up, and she felt her mouth drop. They were almost at the top of the set of stairs and it had led them out onto a platform, high above the forest floor. Leaves fluttered in the breeze like butterfly wings and the sky was the perfect shade of deep blue- the ones that the artist inside her craved to paint but she never it would never do the view justice. Rosalie sighed happily, still staring upwards and didn't catch the smirk the snarky elf leading them shot her but Gimli did. The dwarf glowered at him.
They kept walking for another hour until they reached another platform. The beautiful wooden bridge they had been walking along turned out into a huge crossroad. Or cross path... Rosalie closed her eyes and sighed at her own stupid joke. The snarky elf leading them spun around, his emotionless eyes wandering over all of them. "You will rest here tonight. We are another day's walk from Caras Galadhon." Some of the guards seemed more relaxed when they heard it and warily, the Hobbits were the first to sink to the floor.
Rosalie was about to sit down when a pale hand shot out, grabbing her shoulder not too gently. She stiffened and looked up. The snarky elf was staring hard at her, deep ocean eyes cold, a leather bag hanging from his hand. "There is a set of streams not far from here. Perhaps you would like to bathe," A platinum eyebrow arched and a smirk played at his lips. Rosalie flushed at his unsaid comment, yanking the bag from the elf's grip. His jaw tensed slightly and his eyes hardened and he took a step back. The girl huffed and stalked off in the direction he had indicated, the bag swinging slightly with her every movement. Gimli tried to hide a smile but none of them noticed their elven archer shooting a look at the forest elf. Legolas muttered a few words to him before the other elf shrugged and turned away.
Rosalie let out a groan of satisfaction. Just like the elf said, there was a small river flowing and bending into a waterfall a few hundred metres from where she stood. It was quite cool, but certainly not as cold as she thought it should've been but didn't care much about it. It had felt nice- the sounds of water lapping at the earth, its cool feel against her skin. It relaxed her mind, body and soul, as if there was magic creating this place just for her. Rosalie ducked under the water and then resurfaced, pulling the band out of her now wet hair. She scrubbed it, dragging her fingers through the dripping strands, separating them. Someone, probably not the elf, had taken the time to pack in soap, towels, a small wooden comb and a creamy coloured dress that Rosalie frowned at. The soap was fragrant and silky to touch, the soft floral scent filling the small glade and any tension left in her vanished. She felt like she could stay there forever- tucked away in a corner of perfection, but she realised sooner or later she had to rejoin her friends again, and settled for watching Gimli fighting the blonde elf.
The girl walked back with a spring in her step. She had taken one look at the dress and snorted, thankful that she'd brought her own pack with extra clothes with her. So she walked back with her damp blue hair curling around her shoulder blades- it had grown longer for once, a white t-shirt and black jeans. She grinned when she got back to the group and plopped herself down next to Pippin, while the elf leading them glared at her. "You were given clothes," He stated, staring at her crossed legs. Rosalie looked up at him seriously, "I know, but I prefer my own clothes and I didn't want to inconvenience you by taking your clothes," Rosalie said innocently enough, never tearing her eyes away from the elf, even when she heard Boromir choke, along with several gasps, and a few poorly concealed chuckles. Gimli was roaring, holding his stomach and even Aragorn smirked, eyes wide. The elf's eyes widened and he stepped forward and opened his mouth before something flashed across his handsome features. He looked confused, then angry but stepped back, grinding his teeth as if some invisible force was stopping him.
The night was just as relaxing as her bath but everyone else seemed to feel it as well. Like always, her hair dried and frizzed outwards, much to Merry, Pippin and Sam's amusement. Boromir was already asleep, head propped up by his pack, his gentle snores strangely soothing. Legolas looked more at peace than he had in the mines and Aragorn had a faraway look in his eyes. Dreaming of better times, Rosalie thought to herself, staring at the ranger's small goofy smile. Gimli was still scowling and grumbling under his breath and while she couldn't hear it, the dirty looks the guards kept shooting the dwarf made her think they could. Sometimes, there were small bursts of conversation, but mainly they were silent, enjoying the tranquillity of the night and surroundings.
Rosalie stared at her pack, frowning slightly. Legolas look around at her, raising a dark thin eyebrow at her. Slowly, she pulled out her sketchpad with trembling fingers and flicked to a clean page. She tapped her pencil against the edge, willing herself to draw, but finding nothing. She sat there for a few moments longer before sighing, long and heavy through her nose and chucked her sketchpad across the floor. The snarky elf raised an eyebrow and snorted at her behaviour. A different elf bent down and picked it up, carefully smoothing creases in the paper. Legolas walked slowly over to her and crouched down. "Do not throw away things that you cherish the most," His clear blue eyes sincere and Rosalie pulled the book from his fingers, nodding slightly. He nodded as well and then got up, wandering back to his place across the platform, not looking back.
Someone gently shook her shoulder and Rosalie groaned, rolling over, clutching her pack tighter. "Errugh... Five more minutes," Another person chuckled a little further away. "I don't think she's gunna get up anytime soon Strider." The girl groaned again, and opened one eye. Aragorn leaned over her. "Good morning sleepy," He teased and Rosalie smiled lazily. "Hmmmmm... Too early," She turned her head, still smiling. Aragorn sighed, "Rosalie, if you don't get up, I'm afraid I won't be able to restrain Haldir," He said simply and Rosalie frowned, turning her head slightly. "Who's-" Her question was cut short and she let out a shriek. Cold water dripped from her head and she turned to glare at the Haldir smirking, eyes almost as cold as the water on her face. Merry and Pippin were giggling and even Gimli was trying hard to suppress a smile and she glared at them. "We need to continue walking," Haldir the elf stated plainly and Rosalie glared at him but got up anyway, wiping her face with her sleeve.
It was after dark when the Fellowship made it to the heavenly city of Caras Galadhon. The city glowed like the stars themselves and Haldir lead them up through the trees. There was a little courtyard, and two elves stood there, a man and a woman, waiting for the group. Both were dressed in white and seemed to produce the same glow as the city. The elven lady was beautiful- almost as breathtaking as Arwen. Her hair flowed in golden waves down to her hips, eyes as blue as the deepest lagoon and could pierce the soul. She looked over every one of them, pausing on Rosalie. You have travelled far... Do not fret; this is your place... An unearthly voice wandered through her mind and Rosalie stiffened, eyes widening but the elf had already moved on.
The male elf took this time to speak up. "Nine are here yet ten there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him." There was a pause and Rosalie gulped, and the elven woman froze. "He has fallen into shadow," Her voice was soft but was laced with authority and wisdom, and the elf next to her turned towards her. "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail and ruin all." She looked over them all again before continuing. "Yet hope remains while the company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep peacefully."