Hello, lovely internet dwellers!
Happy Valentine's Day, Singles Awareness Day, etc. etc. (Even if it's not quite Valentine's Day here yet, I'll still say it.) And since this is the holiday of chocolate and chick flicks, I shall update, for the sake of the Fellowship and of Lella.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Stella did not utter a word the rest of the way.
The rays of sharp light cast over the rocks the Fellowship stood on. Faintly, she could hear Pippin's sobs, Frodo's fading footsteps,and the shouts between Aragorn and Boromir. She stood on a high rock, staring vacantly at the forest a few miles away.
Gandalf was gone. The very thought left a wizard-sized cavity in her heart. She wouldn't hear his silly stories or see the magic tricks she used to make him preform. She wouldn't sit and listen to him tell her all the good things she will do when the other orphans made fun of her and her "imaginary wizard". She would never get to apologize.
A hand was pressed on her arm gently. It was Aragorn.
"Stella?" he spoke softly. She had the urge to whip around and yell at him until her throat hurt. And she wanted him to yell back, reprimand her for not apologizing, for being childish. Stella clenched her teeth. "Stella, we need to keep moving."
She nodded, not tearing her gaze from the view in front of her. Aragorn kept his hand on her arm for a moment, before releasing and calling out to Frodo, who had wandered farther away from the company. Stella scuffed her feet, starting forward.
They did not travel far. The journey to edge of the forest wasn't too long, and it was quite easy traipsing over the jagged rocks and grassy fields. The forest was dimly lit, yet held an aura of calmness. Stella gripped her bow tightly, glancing around suspiciously.
"Careful here, young hobbits," Gimli whispered to Merry and Pippin behind her. "They say there's an elven lady, a sorceress, who lures men into these woods. Stay close!"
Under different circumstances, Stella would have laughed and chided Gimli for his silly ghost stories. But instead, she focused her attention on the passing trees and their twisted branches, biting her tongue.
"I'd like to see her take on a dwarf!" Gimli continued proudly. "I have the eyes of a hawk and ears of a fox!"
But he could not have been more incorrect.
Silver arrows pointed at every inch of the Fellowship, gleaming in the pale light. Stella and Legolas's own bows were drawn and directed at the weapon-wielders, but they were severely outnumbered. The pair cast each other defeated glances.
The elven soldiers, equipped with silver armor and shining weapons, had completely circled the company, only parting to let a tall elf man through. Stella assumed he was their captain by the way his armor was the most intricately decorated and how the rest of the elves respectfully let him through. He was muscularly built and bleach blonde, which made him look almost angelic in the pale light. Legolas lowered his weapon.
"We could hear the dwarf breathing from a mile off," the armor-clad elf said, his face unimpressed.
Gimli huffed and the elf captain waved his hand, dismissing the soldiers' weapons. Stella and Legolas too put away their arrows, but Stella's eyes still skirted nervously at the soldiers. The elves were obviously expecting something much more dangerous than the Fellowship, and the thought did not sit very well with her.
After he finished scanning the faces of the company, the elven captain turned and beckoned them with his hand. "Come. We must leave."
The soldiers parted, allowing the Fellowship through. Hesitantly, Aragorn started forward, leading the company behind him. The forest got thicker as they continued, and the light got dimmer. Nobody talked, the pain of losing the grey wizard was still fresh in their minds. Stella's chest ached at every heartbeat just thinking about it.
The pale light through the trees cast shades of blue on the forest. After traveling for a few hours, the elves dispersed slightly, hanging farther behind the company. The elven captain, however, walked with Aragorn, speaking in Sindarin. Stella do not want to intrude on their conversation, for it sounded quite heated. She paid little attention until they stopped at a small platform, and the elf man turned to address the company.
"You cannot continue," he said, glancing at Aragorn. "You contain a great evil and it cannot pass."
Stella narrowed her eyes. They could not stop now, after all they had been through. Gandalf would not have allowed it.
"If Haldir will not let us pass," Legolas muttered to her lowly. "Then we will have to take the longer route."
"Let's hope Aragorn convinces him," Stella said back, her voice raspy from lack of use. Legolas glanced at her before reaching down and lifting her injured arm. The cut had stopped bleeding and it wasn't very deep, but it was uncovered and open to infection.
Stella pulled her sleeve down, gently lifting his fingers from the cut with her own. She gave him the smallest of reassuring smiles, but there was no warmth behind it. It saddened him.
"Please understand, we need your support!" Aragorn continued to argue in elvish. Legolas shifted his gaze from the sad Stella to Frodo, who looked uncomfortably nervous. The hobbit must have known by the way the men were speaking that it was about him and the Ring. Boromir placed a comforting hand on Frodo's shoulder, speaking lowly. However, the Ring-bearer did not look very reassured.
Finally, after a few more tense words in Sindarin, the elf man, Haldir, turned to the Fellowship.
"You will follow me," he said with exasperated reluctance. With one more pointed look at Aragorn, Haldir continued walking on.
With one last look at Legolas beside her, Stella quickened her pace to catch up to Aragorn. They fell into synchronized steps, and Stella laid a hand on the Ranger's shoulder, catching his attention.
"Where are we going, mellon?" Stella murmured. Aragorn stayed quiet for a second before laying his weary gaze on her young face hardened by experience. She had seen more in her three short years traveling with him than many could even dream.
"To the safety of the elves," he replied, internally wincing at the vagueness of his answer. The elleth furrowed her brow in concentration, but seemed pleased enough with the answer to nod her head and remove her hand from his shoulder.
"I trust you know what you're doing," she said after a short pause.
"I always do," he replied, joking half-heartedly. Stella lips twitched in a small smile, but it was not like her usual silly grins that lit up her whole face. This was sadder and filled with exhaustion.
They fell silent after that and kept walking until the forest grew lighter and the setting sun washed over their faces. It brought much of the despondent Fellowship a sense of serenity to see the beautiful elegant structures of the elves after wandering through the forest. A winding pathway twisted upward, not nearly as steep as Moria, but it was very lengthy. However, even if it was quite long, it certainly did not take four days to climb. Stella's tired feet were very thankful for that.
The twisting path took the Fellowship and elven soldiers up higher and higher, towards the heavens above. By the time they reached the top, the moon cast a shimmering light on the company and the surrounding area. The sight was nothing short of lovely, with the glowing lanterns and fluttering lightning bugs. It was something out of a dream.
A blonde elven man, accompanied by a silver haired woman, stepped off a platform in front of them. The elven lady was just as beautiful as the scenery, if not more. Her waves of silver locks glimmered and her white dress hung off her lean frame perfectly. Her face was youthful, but her eyes held history, wisdom, and age. The man looked very much the same. He had more of an authoritative appeal, but his very being looked like something out of a fairytale.
"Your presence here is known by the enemy," the man spoke, eyes scanning over each member of the small party. "Nine there are here, yet ten set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? I much desire to speak with him."
At the mention of the grey wizard's name, Stella looked down at her boots sullenly. She could feel someone's eyes on her bent head, but she did not peer up.
"He has fallen into shadow," the soft voice of the elven woman replied, as if she had read all their sorrows as clearly as one would read a page from a book.
Stella still refused to look up. However, a voice in her head, much like the elven woman's, echoed through her skull. She looked up, meeting the other elf lady's eyes.
'You carry much pain in your heart, young Estella. Pain for your childhood, pain for your family, and pain for the grey wizard. You are a loyal and strong warrior, but still a young lady with a heart,' the voice said. 'Do not be blinded by your pain to not accept the love that is held for you, even if it is not from your blood line. What you seek is held before your eyes, you just need to see it for yourself.'
Stella stood, frozen. She did not understand, yet at the words that was spoken to her, a warm tug at her heart caused her to blink dumbly. She felt as though she was moving underwater, gliding in the depths slowly. The elleth did not pull out of her trance until Aragorn spoke from beside her.
"We can not thank you enough, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel," the Ranger nodded, bowing low. The rest of the company followed his example before being lead off by elf maids. The elves lead them down another winding pathway to an open circle of soft grass and winding trees that wrapped their roots around the enclosed area. There were hollow nooks in the bark and more lightning bugs fluttering through the dark.
The company wasted no time in setting up camp. The hobbits took to the nooks in the trees, possibly because it reminded them of their little holes in the ground that they so fondly recall as home. A few tents were set up, but Stella sat away from everyone else, on a high cranny of a tree. She took to braiding her long brown hair, lost in her own thoughts of Gandalf and Lady Galadriel's words.
A scuffle of feet alerted Stella of Legolas's presence next to her. She knew how quiet he could be, and she also knew he only scuffed his boots to get her attention so he wouldn't surprise her. The gesture seemed oddly endearing.
Stella kept her eyes on him as he sat, fingers still weaving her braid. "You should sleep, you know."
Legolas peered over at her a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I should say the very same to you, Lady Stella."
"I couldn't even if I tried," she shook her head. He looked curiously at her, but did not say anything more. The two fell into a comfortable silence as a few lightning bugs flicked themselves around Stella, landing on her arms. A slow smile spread itself on her face.
"I've always wanted to see a lightning closest I ever got to one was a picture in a book," she said, watching a bug flit away from it's spot on her wrist.
Legolas stared at her, eyes drinking in the whimsical sight. "They are quite beautiful. But I have never heard them referred to as lightning bugs."
"That's what we call them where I am from," she responded simply. Another blinked it's blue rear end, buzzing between the pair of elves. "What do you call them?"
"They are referred to as Star-Carriers. Insects that carry light from the heavens," said Legolas. Stella hummed in response and the elf prince paused before continuing. "I mean not to pry, but I cannot help but wonder, where did you come from?"
"A place very far away," Stella answered. The elven prince cocked his head, waiting for her to elaborate. "A completely different world, actually. I don't think you would have believed it if you saw it."
Legolas studied her for minute before speaking. "Well, I would very much like to hear about it."
So Stella told him. She told him about the library down the block, she told him about the fat, snowy flakes on New Years Eve, and about the large Christmas tree in the center of the city. Some modern technology he needed clarification on, such as automobiles, cellphones, and electricity, but mostly, he sat silent, amusedly observing Stella's rapidly moving hands as she talked. She talked about Gandalf, the orphanage, her rotten luck in foster homes, and even the hole-in-the- wall diner she worked at in high school. Stella didn't think she's ever talked that much to someone in her life.
"Your city sounded very lovely," Legolas commented after she was finished, her breathing unsteady from all the talking she had done. "Odd, but lovely."
"It was," Stella agreed, nodding. "But I knew from a very young age that Middle Earth was home. Gandalf never really kept that fact hidden from my knowledge. That is how I know Sindarin and the cultures of most Middle Earth inhabitants. Gandalf taught me."
The elleth's face dropped slightly and her voice grew small at the mention of her old friend. Aragorn had informed Legolas of her predicament with wizard and the elf spoke to quickly avert the subject.
"Mirkwood has always been my home, but I have not been to see the golden trees in a very long time," the elf prince said, changing the subject. Stella tilted her head curiously, momentarily forgetting her predicament.
"If you don't mind me asking...why not?" she asked softly.
"I thought I desired to see new places. But after a few decades of travel, the adventure was more tiring than exhilarating. I set out to go home, but by then, I was called to Lord Elrond's council," he said, sighing slightly. Stella stayed silent, letting him continue if he wished. "Mirkwood is beautiful. Never will you see the greenest of leaves in the summer months, or the reddest in autumn. The land is covered with soft moss and the streams flow freely on the rocks. The places in the kingdom are just as magnificent as the nature surrounding it. Stone columns, wine colored carpets, and ornate art of my people on the walls. You could not come across such a sight every day."
Stella smiled at the image his description left in her head. "It sounds beautiful."
"It is. I would've very much liked to taken you," he said in a way that made her heart ache. She would've very much liked to have seen it. But they were unsure of the road ahead and however terrifying the thought, the threat of death was always near.
The conversation seemed to slow after that, tired words mindlessly being passed between them. Stella failed to be discreet and rubbed her eyes sleepily. The inner turmoil of emotions and the lingering conversation, mixed with the peaceful stillness of the scenery, left a weary feeling in her bones. But she did not feel right to leave Legolas so abruptly just to sleep.
The prince, however, knew exhaustion when he saw it. Stella was clearly very tired, even if she denied it profusely. And, not that Legolas would admit it out loud, but he needed to rest as well.
"You look quite tired," Legolas remarked, amused at her delicate fingers rubbed her cerulean eyes.
"No, I will be alright," Stella said. However, to contradict her point entirely, she let out a small yawn. The elf prince smirked.
"Sweet dreams, Lady Stella," he spoke softly, removing one of her hands from her face and kissing the back of it lightly.
"Ever the gentleman," Stella murmured, her eyes half-lidded as she slid from off the tree, as graceful as a half-asleep elleth could be. Stella's feet dragged over to where she set her sleeping roll by a silver lantern. Without another word, she curled up in the blanket and fell asleep on the soft grass.
Legolas settled his back against the tree, propping his legs up where Stella had sat. He made no movements for a short moment in time, but ever so slowly, his lips twitched up and a silly smiled blossomed on his young face.
He knew he was in too deep to be pulled out now. But the thought did not trouble him. If anything, it couldn't have made him any happier.
So it kinda started on a super depressing note, but at least they're a little happier...sort of.
I hoped you liked it! There is some pretty...ah...intriguing stuff in store for our friends. But never fear, I can assure you that it will end happy.
So long for now, lovely people.
-Halesie :)
P.S. I like you a latte.
P.P.S. I also though that was appropriate considering the day, plus the fact that I really like puns. And coffee.
P.P.P.S. Also, please review. Thaaaaaanks! :)