Hey!
It seems like I haven't updated in FOREVER. How've you been? I'm curious, and it's 11:04 pm here, and I kinda turn into a nosy twerp any time after 10. Sorta like a really annoying vampire.
So, I must warn you, I am quite tired and a little sick, so this editing quality may not be top notch. Just throwing that out there.
And I must also apologize for the lengthy time without a new chapter. I thought I was going to have all this time to write over winter break, but this was kind of a difficult chapter to write and I just kept procrastinating and it continued being pushed aside and...just stuff.
But, heeeeey now you get an update. Better late then never!
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of The Rings.
Stella was the last out of the Fellowship members to wake.
The elleth blinked the sleep from her eyes and stretched her limbs from under her blanket. Then she sat upright, glancing around at the rest of her company. Legolas had gone from his perch on the tree, and Gimli had stretched his short legs in the elf's former resting place. From a few feet away, Pippin and Merry were admiring a pair of daggers in their palms and Aragorn was rolling up his pack carefully. Taking the corners of her blanket, Stella started to fold, following Aragorn's example and began to pack what was given to her by the elven maids.
The hazy morning light filtered trough the spindly fingers of the trees, as the sun's rays had barely kissed the dark blue sky yet. Stella finished her packing swiftly, and moved to assist Aragorn and Boromir. The Gondorian man seemed to be having slight issues with fitting everything, but the Ranger quickly packed his little belongings that were given to them quickly and with practice. Stella knelt next to Boromir, adjusting the blanket and straps carefully in his pack.
"It is easier if you fold the corners," she said, folding the ends diagonal from each other on the blanket and rolling it up. Boromir looked at the sleeping pack quizzically before offering her a light smile.
"Thank you, my lady," he nodded, taking his sleeping roll away from her.
Stella waved her hand dismissively. "Please, just call me Stella."
Boromir nodded slowly. "As you wish, Stella. But I must ask...wherever did you learn that trick?"
The elleth smiled and inclined her head to the Ranger, who was now assisting Pippin and Merry. "Aragorn taught me when we travelled together a few years back."
"You are just traveling companions? I thought you may be of the same kin," Boromir said, surprise quite evident in his tone. Stella shook her head, amused.
"No, we aren't relatives," she explained. "But I do consider him as family."
"Quite like Gandalf, correct?" the Gondorian man asked. Stella bit the inside of her cheek. The ache I her chest was still prominent, but she pushed it down.
"Yes, I suppose you could say that," she agreed, nodding and hopping to her feet. The words of Lady Galadriel were fresh in her mind as she shuffled over to Aragorn. Stella was unsure of what the elven lady wanted her to do with her advice. The elleth's nose wrinkled at her own thoughts.
"I know that look," Aragorn said suddenly, clapping Stella's shoulders and breaking her focus from a winding root at her toe. The Ranger schooled his face to look utterly serious, but she knew by the way the right corner of his mouth twitched that she wasn't going to like what he was to say next. "That is the look of a lady who lingered too long in conversation with her elven prince last night."
Stella blinked slowly, dumbfounded. "What?"
"You need not act so oblivious," Aragorn said, tilting his chin high in the air to make himself look as if he knew it all. To Stella, however, it made him look quite ridiculous. "I do have ears and I heard your hushed tones, even if I could not make out the words."
"You're silly," the elleth said, rolling her eyes and brushing his hands off her shoulders.
"No, no, my dear Stella, I am observant," Aragorn corrected, wagging his finger at her before clasping his hands in a businesslike manner and clearing his throat. "Now, when are you to be married?"
Stella's ears flamed and she choked on her own saliva. "I'm not getting married!"
"Oh dear," the Ranger gasped dramatically. He looked around in mock panic and cupped his hands around his mouth to whisper to her loudly. "Does Legolas know this?"
"Do I know what?" the elf prince asked, coming to stand next to Aragorn. Stella's eyes widened, her cheeks and ears flaming.
Aragorn, however, smiled pleasantly. "Ah, Legolas, just the person I wanted to see. Now, tell me, when is—"
Stella stomped on her pesky friend's foot, causing him to groan and abruptly stop talking. Legolas knitted his brow, shooting confused glances between the two of them.
"He was, ah...he was wondering...when our departure time was!" Stella said hurriedly. The elf, however, still shifted his gaze from her and the keeled over Aragorn. The elleth bit her lip, tucking a strand of loosened hair behind her pointed ear and silently begged that he took the excuse.
"Ah...soon. Lord Celebron ordered three boats to take us down the river," Legolas said, his face still masked with confusion. Stella nodded quickly.
"Right, of course," she said, avoiding any eye contact. Instead she focused her gaze on the hobbits, who were still failing at packing themselves up and were grumbling loudly at each other. Taking one last look at Aragorn, Stella hurried over to Pippin and Merry, mumbling excuses of lousy friends and noisy hobbits.
Fortunately, Pippin and Merry didn't really know how to pack their sleeping rolls properly, leaving Stella to spend a good fifteen minutes helping them. She tried very hard to avoid the teasing Aragorn and puzzled Legolas. It wasn't easy with Aragorn smirking at her back the entire time, so when an elven maid with skin like moonlight and hair like gold beckoned her from the stairwell, she felt extremely relieved. Stella finished tying the strings on the sleeping roll, dusting her hands off on her pants with a sigh.
As she traipsed up the stairs, the elven maid inclined her head. Stella returned the gesture gently.
"Lady Estella?" the elf maid asked. Stella nodded in assurance. "Your presence has been called upon by Lady Galadriel. Follow me, if you please."
The elf maid turned and slowly made her way back up the stairs. Her waves of hair kissed her satin dress lightly and her frame was long and lean. She was built much like Minuial, except Minuial's fingers were shorter and her hair was considerably darker. A wave of sad longing passed over Stella at the thought of the elven friends she lady behind. They had probably departed from Rivendell by now, never to be seen again. Stella knew they were safe, but it did not help the dull ache in her chest.
The winding stairs were much like the ones the Fellowship climbed last night. These, however, did not carry her quite as far. Soon, the two elves came to a platform where Lady Galadriel stood in a soft white dress with her blonde hair swaying in a light breeze behind her. As they neared, the elf lady smiled gently.
"Estella," she greeted and Stella bowed respectfully.
"My Lady," the elleth replied. She straightened her spine and looked at Lady Galadriel, her eyes curious and slightly fearful.
"You need not be afraid, young one," Galadriel assured. "I simply wished to properly meet the young elf Gandalf raised."
"Of course, Lady Galadriel," Stella replied easily. The elven lady studied the other girl for a small moment, and Stella did her best not to squirm.
"You are very brave, Estella. And very troubled," Lady Galadriel said after a few minutes. "You have only known the care of the grey wizard, not of you're own kin. You have seen things that you did not wish to see and felt pain throughout your life. But you have learned much."
Stella nodded at the elf lady's words. Memories came rushing back at her like an ocean wave and she swallowed the lump in her throat as Lady Galadriel continued.
"Never fear, Estella. Your loyalty is unbreakable and your strength is great. And you are learning to allow love into your heart. Do not mistake this love as weakness, for the will of the heart can conquer many enemies and defeat the darkest of evils," Galadriel smiled at the elleth, who absorbed every word that came out of the elf lady's mouth like a sponge. "I can not give you much, for there is more you must learn for yourself. But I can offer you this."
The elven lady stretched out her palm to reveal a small sliver chain pooled in her hand. On that chain was a tiny, metallic star. The silver gleamed softly in the pale light, but there was no mistaking it's beauty.
"Lady Galadriel...it is lovely," Stella breathed. She stared at it, entranced, before shaking her head. "I cannot take it."
Galadriel smiled fondly. "It is a gift, young one. May it assist you in the darkest of times."
With another look at the elven lady's porcelain face, Stella carefully peeled the silver chain from Galadriel's palm. The necklace was as thin as spider silk, and the charm was barely as big as her fingernail. There was no doubt that it was lovely, for Stella hadn't seen anything so magnificently crafted in her life.
"Your gift was the last I wished to give. You must depart now with your companions. We may not meet again, young Estella," Galadriel said softly as she watched Stella clasp the necklace around her neck.
"Thank you, My Lady," she said, bowing once again. The maid who had beckoned her to Lady Galadriel lead Stella back down the stairs, but not before Stella turned to smile at the elven lady in white one last time.
The elf maid lead her down a different path this time, this one with less stairs and more passageways. She could see the shoreline and the river ahead of her. The sun had now risen over the trees, splintering rays across the blue water. As they neared, boats on the rocks and her companions became less like specks and more like people.
Lord Celebron and Haldir were too at the shore, looking very regal on the rocks. The elf lord stood, talking quietly with Aragorn, who was the only member of the Fellowship besides herself to not be in a wooden boat. As Stella approached, their conversation halted, and Aragorn turned to smirk lightly at her.
"And she arrives. Late, as usual," he chided teasingly, and the elleth rolled her eyes at her ridiculous friend. She slid into the boat containing Gimli and Legolas, giving them small smiles as she sat.
"Farewell, members of the Fellowship. You have a long journey ahead of you, and the further you travel from this shore, the more danger you will encounter. The orcs now hold the eastern shores of Anduin," Lord Celebron said, catching the attention of all member of the Fellowship. At the mention of the orcs, Stella sat up a little straighter, gripping her bow.
"Thank you, Lord Celebron," Aragorn bowed. He nodded a farewell to Haldir before climbing into the boat where Frodo and Sam were waiting. The Fellowship pushed themselves from the shore, slowly paddling down the river. The water lapped at the side of the boats and Stella dropped her hand to feel the cool, blue liquid run between her fingers.
With the sun warming her face and the cool water licking at her fingertips, Stella felt calm. If they weren't on the quest and didn't have possession of the Ring, she would've even dared to say she was completely at ease. But after everything that had happened already, it didn't feel right thinking like that.
Behind her, Legolas and Gimli had struck up a conversation. She turned to see a faraway look in Gimli's eyes as he described the parting gift Lady Galadriel gave him.
"No gift would ever be fairer to me," the dwarf sighed, his eyes gazing into the water.
"What was it?" Legolas asked as he paddled gently.
"I asked for a hair from her head, but she gave me three," Gimli replied, still in his dreamy state. From over his head, Stella and Legolas shared a smile at the enchanted dwarf.
"She must have thought you to be worthy of such a gift," said the elven prince.
"No, no. I may never be worthy," Gimli protested, shaking his head. Stella patted the dwarf's arm gently and Legolas said nothing after that. The inhabitants of the boats fell quiet, basking in the feeling of the sun on their faces and admiring the landscape around them. The bright blue sky with wisps of white clouds danced above their heads and jagged mountains surrounded them. The scene left a lazy haze on Stella's mind, much like a muggy summer's day would. After a long while of sailing down the river, she even considered falling asleep. It may have only been noon, but the breeze was nice and warm on her skin when she rested her head on her knees. Her eyelids were fantastic heavy, yet Stella reluctantly willed herself awake. The idea of orcs jumping through the forest that was located on the left of Stella was unnerving.
The forest, despite the bright sun, caused chills to run up the elleth's arms. The eerie feeling was different from Moria's one. This felt more quiet and creepy, like a cat slinking low in the grass before pouncing on it's prey. A shiver rippled itself down Stella's spine.
The three boats collided with a 'thud' on the ground below as they hit the shoreline. Pippin was the first to climb out of his boat, obviously eager to place his feet back on solid ground. Stella, unlike her hobbit friend in the next boat over, was extremely reluctant to leave where she sat. It took a huff from Gimli for her to let out a sigh and stand to help the dwarf out of the small wooden vessel.
"Do you feel that as well?" Legolas said quietly, stepping from the boat and onto the ground beside her. She pursed her lips and glanced at the elven prince.
"The creepy-crawly feelings up my arms because of this forest? Yes, I suppose I do," Stella whispered back, rubbing her hands up her forearms. Despite their current situation, Legolas smiled lightly.
"Something like that, yes," he replied. She nodded, grasping her bow and stood stock-still, observing the forest carefully. Legolas went to softly converse with Aragorn, leaving her to warily peer at the trees and keep close tabs on the rest of the Fellowship. Merry, Pippin, and Sam sat on the roots of some nearby trees while Boromir set his pack of supplies on a grassy patch further back.
Stella furrowed her brow at the sight. The Gondorian man may have placed his belongings by the tree, but he was not physically there. The elleth had a sickening feeling that sunk in her stomach.
But before she was able to even open her mouth to say something of this new development, Sam frantically shuffled around and made a sound of distress.
"Where's Frodo?" the hobbit demanded, looking up at Aragorn with a panic-stricken expression on his face. The Ranger spun in a full circle, trying to locate their lost friend.
"Boromir's gone too," Stella piped up, her expression darkening. "Aragorn, you don't think..."
Her friend shook his head at her unfinished sentence and grave tone. "We must find Frodo. Hurry!"
The Ranger ran off into one side of the forest while Stella and Legolas splintered off on a different trail. Gimli had followed the pair for a short moment, but quickly dispersed himself to widen the search party. The woods were vast, but the company had not been on land very long before Frodo and Boromir wandered off. Stella prayed that something else didn't find them before the Fellowship did.
"They cannot be far. If Boromir left his belongings—" Legolas was cut off by a cry to the left of the pair. With a shared look of concern, Stella and Legolas took off across the leaves and twigs that littered the ground.
They were prepared for a ghastly sight, but, to their relief, Boromir was just curled on the ground. His sobs racked his body, and Stella slowly took another step forward.
"Boromir?" she asked, laying a hand on the shoulder of the crying man. He did not lift his head.
"I shall go alert Aragorn that we recovered him," Legolas said softly. He grasped Stella's other hand with his own, squeezing lightly. His face was hardened with concern. "Stay safe."
The elleth, nodded and cast a smile at him, even if it did not quite reach her eyes. "You too."
With one last look at her face, the elf prince took off, leaving Stella alone with the Gondorian man. Boromir had sat himself up and sniffed.
"I apologize, Stella," he said sadly. "It took hold of me. It—it..."
"It's alright, Boromir," Stella replied, hushing his despaired words. She gripped his forearms, hoisting him to his feet gently. "The Ring's power is deadly. It can corrupt and twist someone until they aren't even themselves anymore."
"But Frodo...oh what have I done?" the man whispered, hanging his head in shame. Stella placed a comforting hand on his arm, but her ears perked at the sound of clanging metal and inhuman snarls.
The orcs had found them.
"We have to leave," Stella muttered to a frozen Boromir. His eyes were wide with panic. She tugged his arm, pulling him out of his reverie and across the leafy ground. "Now!"
Stella silently hoped that Legolas or Aragorn had found the missing Frodo before the orcs did. From the sound of it, there were many of the devilish creatures, much more than a dwarf, two elves, two men, and a couple of untrained hobbits could handle. The elleth cursed aloud in Sindarin.
"Pippin, Merry? Sam?" she called, racing through trees towards the river where she last left her friends. An arrow whistled in her ear, barely skimming her head. She whirled around to see orcs racing down the small hills after her and Boromir. The man drew his sword as the demonic creatures neared, slicing the first few down before they could reach her.
She fired a few shots, but more beasts kept flooding through the trees, snarling and waving their weapons high in the air. Axes and sharpened swords swung at her, but Stella dodged them quickly to avoid getting cut in half. She reached into her quiver to notch another arrow, but all that came up was thin air. Her eyes went wide as she fumbled around the quiver, momentarily letting down her guard.
With all defenses lowered, her enemy took it's chance. The ghastly orc swung his axe at her feet, sweeping Stella clean off the ground. She let out a startled cry as her head hit the ground, and Boromir whipped around to see the orc prepared to chop her down the middle. The man sliced the head off the unsuspecting beast, but Stella did not get up. She laid on the ground, dazed from hitting her skull on the muddy ground.
"Stella, you must get up! Quickly!" Boromir shouted. Time seemed to slow and Stella felt as though they were all moving through a pool of Jell-O. One minute, the Gondorian man was stood, begging for her to get back up, and the next, he collapsed onto the ground next to her, an arrow sticking out of his chest.
She tried to let out a cry, but a hard object hit her temple and black dots flooded her vision. The last look Stella had was of Boromir struggling to sit up, a barbed arrow sticking out of his shirt.
With a strangled sigh, the elf girl closed her eyes and let the darkness consume her.
...And that concludes Chapter Ten with a kinda-cliffhanger.
Ahhhhhhhh, the ever impending threat of death is so...lively.
Please remember to R&R!
Oh, and shout out to one of my best friends ever, Ryan, who was an absolute darling to read "The Lady of Chaos". And, while we're at it, shout out to all of you who read this as well. Thanks :)
See you next time!
-Halesie