Chapter 15:
I paused to catch my breath as I rounded the last corner before the city centre, leaning heavily against a nearby mallorn. I watched my breath cloud in the chilly morning air, swirling upwards until vanishing from my gaze. My legs quivered and my lungs were burning, but I had a smile on my face. I felt better than I had ever felt before, filled with a newfound strength. Never had I imagined that I would be successful in achieving such a high level of fitness, and yet here I was, panting as my body begged for mercy after running five laps of the city.
I almost feel motivated enough to lift some weights! I laughed inwardly as I straightened and began slowly making my way back towards my lodgings. Not sure how easy it would be to find a weight room around here though. My grin widened slightly at my own lame humour. Pulling my water pouch from the belt at my waist, I raised it to my lips and let the last of its contents drip into my mouth. Screwing the cap back on in annoyance, I quickly pulled out my other pouch and drank, sighing as the water soothed the fire in my throat.
The night before has passed in the blink of an eye. A dreamless sleep had engulfed me, one that I much welcomed. I had awoken feeling refreshed and somewhat restless, so no sooner had I gotten myself out of bed and dressed, had I jogged out the door for my run.
I was giddy with a giddy excitement, one that I was finding quite impossible to contain. The Fellowship is here! I almost hated myself for getting so worked up about it. After all, after living in Middle Earth amongst some of its most magical beings, shouldn't I be used to running into the characters from what I had rightfully thought to be a fictional story? I shook my head briskly, refusing to let my thoughts put a damper on my excitement. This was different, totally not the same as running into Haldir, or even Galadriel. These were the main characters, the people that I held so dear to my heart!
I lifted my water pouch up again, tilting it back to get the last of the water out. Haldir will definitely have to introduce me to them! Well, if he wants to. Does he even get to stay in the city, or does he have to go back to the border now, I wonder? Oh, I hope that I get to meet the Fellowship! The cute little hobbits! Merry and Pippin, I wonder if they're as foolish as they are in the movies? And of course the other two hobbits, and Gimli, and Aragorn, and Lego-
I nearly choked on the last mouthful of water as I ran into something. Startled out of my thoughts, I dropped my water pouch and coughed rather violently. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I felt a hand on my back. Turning around quickly, I blinked back the tears that her were pricking the corners of my eyes and took a deep breath. My eyes were able to focus on a golden blond head before I sneezed. God this is embarrassing. The hand left my back now. Apparently whoever it belonged to was reassured enough that I wasn't choking to death anymore. I sneezed a second time before I was able to gather myself. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I chuckled awkwardly and sniffled.
"Are you all right?"
I nodded my head in response, making sure that I had taken care of the tears before raising my head to greet the stranger. It was Legolas.
I stood there, mortified, as I turned the brightest shade of red. This was not how I had intended on meeting one of my favourite characters! Pulling myself from my state, I reached up to fix my hair quickly, and cleared my throat. Do I say something?
"Thank you, Legolas," I said nervously. I saw the look of confusion cross his features and I instantly knew that I had made my first mistake.
"I do not think that we have met before, yet it would seem that you know me," Legolas replied, one eyebrow raised slightly. It was not a challenge, not an unfriendly gesture in the slightest, but it made me feel faint with nervousness.
"No, we haven't met, but I have heard about you," I replied, gathering my wits about me the best that I could. "I am a friend of Haldir's," I added, feeling that that information would help.
As I waited for his response, I took a couple of seconds to look the woodland prince over. The blonde elf was just as tall as Haldir, if not slightly taller. Though not the spitting image of Orlando Bloom, the resemblance was uncanny, as I had instantly recognised him. Legolas' hair was more of a golden blonde than Haldir's silver, and he was built leaner, though it was evident that he was just as strong. Most startling of all were his eyes, as blue as a clear summer sky. For an elf, his eyes did not seem to hold as much wisdom as others that I had seen during my stay in Lothlórien. Legolas' eyes seemed almost childish in comparison, though saying that the prince himself was childlike couldn't be farther from the wore a silver tunic, and it seemed almost strange to me that I was seeing him in the absence of his bow and quiver, but I figured that he didn't really need to be carting them around the city.
"I see," Legolas nodded, a friendly smile appearing on his face. "Do you live in Lothlórien? I had not thought to find a mortal dwelling within the Goldenwood."
I pursed my lips. What exactly was my story again? I honestly couldn't remember what I had told everyone upon arriving here, besides the fact that I was lost and had no idea where I was.
"I've been living as a guest of the Lady Galadriel for several months," I supplied, hesitant to disclose more information than that. Even so, I had perhaps already spilled too much. Anyone would be curious as to why the Lady of Light would hold a mortal in high enough honour to have them as a guest, much less for such a long duration of time. Thankfully, the elf did not press the matter any further.
"My name is Christa, by the way," I offered after a moment of silence that probably only seemed long to me. I smiled, trying to push aside the fact that I probably looked like a mess.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Christa," Legolas smiled in return, tipping his head slightly in a gesture of greeting before turning away to look across the woods. "I do hope that you will pardon me, for I must take my leave."
"Of course," I said right away, not wanting to keep him from whatever he needed to go off and do. He offered me another polite smile before heading off in the direction that I had come from.
I stood there for a moment, looking down at the ground. Well, that just happened. I took a deep breath to steady myself as I realised that my legs were shaking. I hoped that I had not been noticeably nervous. I didn't want him to think that I was nervous of him or anything. I rolled my eyes at my ridiculous behaviour before continuing on my way to my flet.
After running back to grab my forgotten water pouch, I made it back to my flet, thankfully without running into anyone else. I had made sure to take an extra wide berth around the main tree, for if my memory served me correctly, that was were the Fellowship would be camping out for the duration of their stay. I didn't even see the pavilion that was supposedly set up for the guests as I made my way up the winding stairs, but I supposed that it must have been around somewhere.
A bath worked wonders to calm me down. I had filled the tub with more hot water than usual, and was now enjoying an almost hot tub-like experience, enhanced by the relaxing aromas of the bath balms and soaps that were lined up beside the tub. As much as I wished to remain there in the steamy water for the duration of the day, my stomach was quick to remind me that I had not yet eaten.
Once I had reluctantly pulled myself from the warm comforts of the bath, I quickly dressed in several layers of clothes and headed out in search of food.
"I was wondering when you would show up," I said as I looked down the shaft of my arrow at the target at the far end of the range. Haldir stepped up beside me as I took my shot. It wasn't my best, and landed in the second innermost ring of the target, but he didn't seem to notice.
"You are getting quite perceptive, aren't you?" Haldir chuckled.
I shrugged my shoulders as I nocked another arrow before raising my bow to take aim again.
"Yeah, I guess it's just all a part of the whole becoming an elf thing…" I said, my voice low. I wasn't sure if there was anyone standing near enough to hear us speaking, so I figured that I had better err on the side of caution. I saw Haldir nod out of the corner of my eye.
My next arrow also missed the center, and I huffed. The hot bath had obviously not been enough to clear my mind of my less than ideal meeting with Legolas this morning. It's just not fair, none of them were supposed to see me like that. I pouted.
"What is on your mind?" Haldir asked me, a hint of humour in his voice as he noticed my facial expression. I quickly wiped it off and turned to him.
"Oh, nothing." I said as casually as possible. I knew that Haldir wouldn't take that as a final answer, but I had no idea how to explain to him that I had embarrassed myself in front of one of my favourite characters. Just tell the truth, you're not getting out of this. My thoughts were confirmed by my friend, one eyebrow lifted as he waited expectantly for an explanation.
"I ran into Legolas this morning, quite literally," I laughed in embarrassment as Haldir's eyes widened. "It wasn't as bad as it sounds… I was only walking," I added, watching as Haldir's expression changed to one of humour.
"It's really not that funny," I exclaimed as he started to chuckle. "I was all sweaty from my run!"
"I find your obvious chagrin quite amusing," he admitted. He was no longer chuckling, but instead wore a large grin. In response, I dropped my bow and took a step forward, giving him quite the two-handed shove across the chest. Caught off guard, Haldir tumbled backwards and landed in the grass.
Satisfied that he would not be laughing at my expense any longer, I dusted my hands off dramatically and picked up my bow. As I drew another arrow from my quiver, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.
Turning too late to react, my eyes widened and I felt the wind get knocked out of me as I was tackled to the ground. Landing in the cold grass with a thud, I tried to regain my breath as Haldir rolled away from me and made to stand up. I tried unsuccessfully to grab for his ankle as he made his escape, but upon realising that I had been too slow, I dropped my head back onto the ground and lay there, heaving as my breath returned to me.
"Uncalled for!" I gasped as soon as I could speak, too shaken to move my head to look for the culprit. As if on cue, Haldir's face popped into my vision, blocking the afternoon sun as he looked down at me, smirking.
"Next time, perhaps you will think twice before assaulting the Marchwarden of Lorien," he stated matter-of-factly. Normally, this would have alarmed me, but not this time. This time, I knew he was just trying to frighten me as a jest.
"Oh, stop trying to scare me," I laughed as I sat up slowly, grimacing slightly through my smile as I felt my body object to the movement. "Seriously, was that really necessary?" I looked up at him, one of my eyebrows lifted. He shrugged, and I could tell that he was trying his hardest not to crack a smile.
"Here," he said after a moment, offering me a hand up. I contemplated just dragging him down with me, but thought better of it. I didn't need to be tackled again, and my body probably wouldn't agree with me putting all my strength into bringing Haldir down anyways. Taking the hand that he held out to me, I clasped it and groaned as I stood.
"My apologies," Haldir said once I was on my feet, rubbing the tender spot below my ribs where his shoulder had caught me. I looked up at him and saw that he had dropped his jest and was offering me a sincerely sorry smile. I smiled too, despite my aches.
"I guess my hand-to-hand skills are getting a little rusty," I said as I bent over slowly to pick up my discarded bow.
"If you wish, we can practice," Haldir suggested.
"I'd like that, but not today," I laughed as I grabbed my bow and straightened up, grinning. "and probably not tomorrow either. I'll probably be pretty sore for the next few days," I added, shooting him a playfully accusing look.
"Well, in that case, whenever you are feeling up to it," Haldir said with a smile.
Deciding that I had had enough of the archery range, I packed up my stuff and Haldir and I made our way back towards the city. We walked at a leisurely pace, in no rush to get anywhere, since we didn't really have a destination in mind. After a few moments of comfortable silence, I decided to ask him about the Fellowship.
"Do you think I will be able to meet them?" I asked out of the silence, turning towards my friend, who met my gaze.
"Meet who?" he asked in return. I sighed.
"The… Visitors," I offered, unsure of what exactly to call them, as I didn't think that Haldir had introduced them to me as the Fellowship.
"I am not sure that I am in any place to introduce you, Christa. I know not much more than you do concerning them, and I feel that they would prefer to be left in peace for the time being."
I furrowed my brow as I turned my gaze back down to the path at my feet. "All right," I said after a moment, electing to just let it go. I could see no real reason to leave the Fellowship alone, but if Haldir didn't want to introduce me, then so be it. It wasn't like I was going to listen to him this time anyways.
I rose early the next morning, not because I had intended on doing so, but because I had been unable to sleep any longer due to anticipation. As I decided to roll out of bed and draw my bath, I had one thought on my mind: today I was going to introduce myself to the Fellowship, and there was nothing that anyone could do to get in my way.
Perhaps it all seemed a little bit too dramatic in my mind, but I still felt as if I was going against some unspoken rule as I went about my morning routine. Haldir had never told me outright to not go seeking the travellers out, but then again, I hadn't told him my plans. Whether or not he suspected me of going down to meet them or not, I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched, and the thought only made me more excited to get out my door.
I spent longer than usual in the bath, and instead of melting away comfortably in the warm waters, I set right to work cleaning myself up. I washed my hair twice, taking the time to work all the way down to my roots with my fingertips. After rinsing my hair for the second time, I scrubbed myself over meticulously, making sure that every last speck of dirt had been removed from my skin. I paused for a moment, fingers running along the porcelain skin on my legs where my stretch marks had been, but didn't allow myself any time to get lost in the turmoil of emotions. I rinsed myself off and climbed out of the tub, quickly wrapping myself in a towel and rubbing myself dry. I then brushed through my hair and pulled it into a quick half-up half-down style, taking care to place some of my hair overtop of my pointed ears. I fastened my silver clip at the back of my head and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. Wandering over to the fireplace, I prodded at it with the poker, urging it into a bright flame once more, before scurrying out of the bathroom to get dressed.
I glanced out through the window in my bedroom and noted with glee that the sun had finally begun to rise above the trees. It seemed that I had been awake forever in the darkness, waiting for the day's light to seep through the thick golden foliage. It was now safe to say that it was a reasonable hour for those who needed rest to be waking. I quickly dressed in one of my newer tunics and a dark grey pair of leggings, and pulled on my grey leather boots. The thick grey cloak that Haldir had given me was pulled on last.
I paused as I reached for the doorknob, doubt suddenly settling on my shoulders. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. What if Haldir found out that I had disturbed the Fellowship? Nothing, that's what. Since when do I worry about what Haldir thinks of my decisions? Shoving the nagging feeling of guilt from my mind, I opened up my door and stepped out into the brisk morning air.
The chilly breeze nipped at my nose and cheeks, painting them a bright red. As I made my way down the main set of winding stairs, I watched as my breath clouded before drifting away. It's already January, I thought wistfully to myself. I've been here for nearly half a year. The thought struck a cord in my heart and I nearly came to a stop in the middle of the stairs. Had the same amount of time passed back home? Surely not… My family couldn't possibly have left me to my own devices for so long with so little hope of my ever waking up. Suddenly, a horrifying though came to mind. What if they pull the cord on me? This time, I did falter in my steps. Taking a moment to calm my thoughts, I leaned on one of the pillars closest to the trunk of the great tree and closed my eyes. Would I even know? Surely I'm not already stuck here… I clenched my fists and opened my eyes, shaking my head resolutely. I would know. Somehow, I would know it if I was already dead. The Valar would have told me if my body back home had been killed.
Though I couldn't quite shake the fear that now gnawed at the back of my mind, I forced myself not to dwell on it. Continuing on my way, I allowed my excitement to make its return as I neared the lower levels of the tree. By the time that my boots touched the grass at the foot of the stairs, I was practically weak with excitement.
Now that I was on the ground, my eyes scanned the forest around me, searching for the Fellowship's camp. On a lawn… I reminded myself, hoping that my knowledge was indeed correct. Hanging a right, I walked quickly along the grass in the direction of the nearest clearing that I knew of.
Not a minute later, my keen eyes caught a glimpse of shimmering white through the trees. I crept through the forest as my legs turned to jello, ignoring myself as I begged to turn back. I could just wait to be introduced later under other circumstances. I kept walking, however, knowing that if I didn't do this now, I would be too chicken to ever try again on my own.
I could hear voices now above the gentle rustling of the leaves over my head. Leaning up against a tree trunk, I stopped to listen in on the conversation to make sure that I wasn't about to intrude on anything private.
"Why can't I have another?"
I had to resist the urge to chuckle at the first thing that I heard, and guessed that it was either Merry or Pippin who had asked.
"Because there are some of us who have yet to eat," came the reply. My best guess for that one was Sam, though I wasn't sure.
"Just one more?" the first voice piped up with an accent that sounded quite Scottish. I smiled to myself.
Well, I suppose now is a good a time as ever! Taking a deep breath, I stood up, hoping that it wouldn't seem like I had been spying on the group. I hesitated. Go, go go! Come on… Go! I was just about to step out from behind the tree when movement in front of me made me jump. I gasped and stumbled backwards to hide farther around the tree, startled.
"Hello," I heard a small voice remark casually from the other side of the tree. My heart was racing as I gathered myself and watched as a hobbit took another stepped around the tree to face me.
"Hello," I stuttered, the word feeling strange on my tongue as I stared wide-eyed at the tiny figure standing in front of me. "Forgive me, I did not mean to spy." It had been a long while since I had last spoken the Common Tongue, and I had needed to think for a moment before speaking.
"What, if I may ask, where you doing then?" the hobbit inquired with furrowed brows, his curly brown hair bouncing as he tilted his head.
"Well, I was actually going to introduce myself." I replied after taking a short moment to calm myself down. Glad that I had managed to speak without stuttering for once, I offered the hobbit a friendly smile.
"Perhaps then you should not be hiding?" came the small figure's reply. I couldn't help but chuckle at his words.
"Perhaps you are right," I smiled down at him, pleased when the hobbit grinned back. "My name is Tawariell." It was probably best if I used my adopted name for introductions from now on, as I had begun to grow tired of explaining my true name's origins.
"I'm Merry," the hobbit replied, confirming my guess. "Pleased to meet you, lady Tawariell."
"Tawariell will do," I laughed easily, my nerves forgotten in the presence of the Halfling.
"Well, now that I know your name, and you know mine, let's go meet the others," Merry said, grinning up at me through his brown locks. He then grabbed my hand and led me out from behind the tree.
I could see the pavilion now, its white panels blowing gently in the soft breeze. The knot in my stomach started to twist itself back together, but I smiled through it, hoping that everything would workout okay. The smell of sausages made my stomach rumble, and I hoped that Merry hadn't heard. Should have eaten first.
The hobbit seemed to take no notice, and soon we had rounded the pavilion and were walking towards the group. Seven figures of varying shapes and sizes were sitting around a campfire, and I saw several of their faces for the first time. My hands trembled.
"Don't be nervous, Lady Tawariell. My friends are all very kind," Merry leaned in and whispered up to me, smiling encouragingly. I returned the smile. I'm nervous for nothing.
A couple of heads were lifted at the sound of our feet, and I put on my most confident smile as I felt their eyes on me.
"Ah, master Merry. We had begun to wonder where about you had gone," a man spoke up at our approach. "Who might this be?"
I lifted my eyes to see who had spoken and met the intent gaze of a dark-haired man. He sat on a log beside Legolas and another man, who could only have been Boromir, judging by the white tree that adorned his garments. He was leaning forward, casually resting his elbows on his knees as he waited for an answer. Aragorn.
"This is Tawariell. She wanted to introduce herself," Merry supplied matter-of-factly as I opened my mouth to reply. I smiled politely, shifting my gaze to the other members of the Fellowship.
"Why, Merry, you've found an elf maiden!" One of the hobbits exclaimed at my introduction, before getting a dirty look from the stouter Halfling who was seated beside him.
"Oh, I'm actually not an elf," I said quickly, watching as the young hobbit's face fell at my words, before he looked up again and smiled warmly.
"Well, I suppose that's all right. You've got an elf name, and you dress like an elf," Pippin said quickly as he stood up. "My name's Peregrin Took."
"But we call him Pippin," Merry finished for his cousin, looking up at me. I smiled, holding back a giggle.
"It's nice to meet you, Pippin," I said, smiling genuinely. Pippin seemed pleased and sat down again beside Sam, who rolled his eyes subtly. Before anyone else could do their own introductions, Merry was talking again.
"Beside him is Sam, who does most of the work cooking. Makes some good food, he does, but we're starting to run low on sausages," he said, brow furrowing in concern. I hid a grin as he continued.
"Boromir is seated on that log over there, and beside him is Strider… Aragorn." Both men gave me a nod of acknowledgment, though the latter's seemed a bit more sincere. I tried not to hold eye contact with the Lord of Gondor for longer than I had to, afraid that my troubled thoughts regarding his future would become apparent.
"Then there's Legolas, the elf of Mirkwood, and Gimli, a dwarf." Both men offered me a warm smile, and Legolas gave a nod of familiarity. I nodded back, before turning to look for the last little hobbit, who was nowhere to be seen.
"And Frodo, where's he gone?" Merry asked, suddenly realising that the most important member of the Fellowship appeared to be absent. This matter didn't bother me. I was sure that he was around somewhere, brooding over his own troubles. I felt pity for the young hobbit, but was silently relieved that he was not around. The matter of the Ring of Power had not crossed my mind much before, but now that I was standing in the presence of the Fellowship, I was glad that I didn't have to worry about the Ring being so near.
"Frodo wished for some time to himself," Aragorn supplied, his expression calm as he straightened up. Merry nodded in understanding.
"Tawariell and I made our acquaintance yesterday morning," Legolas spoke up once the matter of Frodo had been taken care of. "though I do believe you introduced yourself by another name." He turned towards me, curious. I did, didn't I? Oops.
"Oh, yes. I suppose I have told a lie," I started, reaching up to rub the back of my neck nervously. "My real name is actually Christa. Tawariell was a name given to me by the elves of Lothlórien upon my arrival," I explained.
"You are an elf-friend, then?" Aragorn asked me, his interest piqued. I shook my head quickly with a chuckle.
"No, no. I have done nothing spectacular enough to deserve such a title. It is simply an alias that I was given since none knew my real name."
"I like the name Christa. It's quite hobbit-like, though I can't say as I've ever heard it before." Pippin piped up again, and I laughed at his words. The blonde hobbit was certainly living up to my expectations, and I was pleased with his curious and friendly nature.
"Tawariell, daughter of the forest." Legolas said pensively to no one in particular. I turned my gaze back to him, waiting as I anticipated what he was going to say next. "You say there is no meaning behind this adopted name, but I would have to disagree. The elves take great care in naming, and I do not think that your name is an exception. From where do you hail, Lady Christa? If I may address you as such."
I nodded. "Of course, I would prefer it, actually." I paused then, scrambling to decide what to tell them. "I awoke one day in Lothlórien, confused and unsure as to where I was. I was discovered by the Galadhrim and brought back to Caras Galadhon, where I was granted a room to stay. I come from a land that appears to be unknown, even to the elves, as the Lady Galadriel has no knowledge of it." I hoped that that would suffice as an explanation, as I didn't want to discuss my past any longer.
If Legolas was shocked by this information, he did not show it. For the first time since my arrival, the two who had not yet spoken voiced their concerns.
"She knows nothing; you say?" Boromir said doubtfully. I furrowed my brows slightly, and was about to speak, but another voice beat me to it.
"The Lady can penetrate the minds of others. Surely she has some knowledge of your lands?" Gimli said gruffly from beside Legolas. I shook my head slowly.
"She knows nothing of my home, but I wish that she did."
The Fellowship was quiet then, and I shifted uncomfortably as I stood next to Merry. Thankfully, sensing my unease, the hobbit clasped my hand again and I was led to a log where he plopped down and patted the empty space beside him.
"We were just about to eat," Merry said, grinning in anticipation as I sat down.
"Some of us already have," Sam said, turning towards Pippin, who shrugged his shoulders.
"I was hungry!" Pippin exclaimed. I laughed then, a smile returning to my lips.
"I'd offer some breakfast to you, Lady Christa, but I'm afraid that I only made enough for the seven of us," Same looked up at me, brown eyes shining with sympathy. I was already shaking my head before he had finished his sentence.
"No, don't worry about it, Sam. It would have been wiser of me to wait until after breakfast to visit," I said, sincerely wishing that I had not make the hobbit feel bad for not having enough food for me. Sam smiled thankfully before turning back to the fire to remove the sausages from the frying pan.
"I'll leave you all to your breakfast," I offered as Sam removed the food and pan and began to divvy it out onto a set of plate.
"You can't stay?" Merry asked from my side. I laughed before patting him gently on the shoulder.
"I'm sure that we will be seeing one another again soon, Merry," I said with a friendly smile. The hobbit smiled too, though I could tell that he was disappointed that I was leaving.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Christa," Aragorn said as I stood to leave.
"Please, visit any time," Legolas added from beside him. I grinned my thanks.
"Thank you, I will be sure to return soon," I replied, bowing my head in thanks before turning to look at Merry with a smile. With another quick nod, I turned and left the Fellowship to their breakfast.
I had not walked far when my stomach rumbled angrily, and I laughed quietly to myself. Yeah, yeah, we're going to eat now. My heart was cheerful and my step light as I made my way to the Dining Hall for some much anticipated breakfast.
Eeep! Finally! I've been eagerly anticipating this chapter for a long time, and it's finally finished! I hope that you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. I hope that my introduction of the Fellowship was good enough. I didn't really go into much detail for the characters themselves, and not all of them got a chance to say much of importance, but I still had fun with it.
No promises as to when the next chapter will be up, as I have a big paper due next Wednesday, among other assignments, but I will hopefully be able to start it soon.
Thanks for reading, please leave me a review and let me know what your thoughts are so far on the Fellowship! As I said, there's still some more detailed information to be taken care of, but I will be elaborating on important stuff in the next couple of chapters.
Get ready for a bumpy ride! Heehee.
-Eru