I am really, truly, deeply sorry for the long wait. You see, the second trimester as started, and I've got loads of assignements and papers to finish, and hundreds of pages to study and everything is just far too busy! Anyway, I haven't quit this story. I guess there will be one more chapter and an epilogue (but I'm not very good in guessing, so don't pin me on that!)
BETA: thewayfaringstrangers
Guest: I honestly do not think eagles can fly to stars ;) They need air! It's a simpler solution :P
Jasper6509: Could be... But no. I do not think Aragorn (or Arwen for the matter) would agree with that :P But good guess :P
Lazy Gaga: You'll get some answers here, I promise :P
Nearing Midnight: Oops. Sorry. It has been a little busy... I do hope you still enjoy the story :)
ShadowHawq35: Thank you! :P Ah, baw is an elvish word, meaning no :P There is some discussion about it, but I find it easier to use :P
Squiddy the Beth: Thank you very much for your lovely review! Yes, I do like cliff hangers, but this one isn't too bad, I think ;)
TheButterflyCurse996: Hi ;) Yeah, I didn't tell you the masterplan, did I? :P Here you got your answer :P
Ynnealay: Thanks for trying! But no, indeed :P We'll see more about Legolas next chapter! :P
"Dew."
"Dew?"
"Yes, dew." There was a silence, in which all the assembled friends stared at Aragorn, who leaned back self-confidently. Most of them were bewildered and slightly worried at the mental state of the king - save for Elentìriel, who had heard his explanation before, and Gandalf, who was looking rather pensively. It was so quiet you could have heard a needle touch the ground.
Looking at their astonished faces, Aragorn decided to give them some time to let his statement sink in. It took a little longer than he had expected. Perhaps the worry and tiredness were catching up with them, so that this new and unexpected change was hard to process. Eventually, it was Gandalf who spoke first, his voice calm, his eyes staring into the fire.
"Perhaps, Aragorn, you could explicate the reasons which have led you to this conclusion?" He had the same brooding look he usually had when Aragorn came to report something very unusual, and possibly quite important, that he had seen on his travels as Ranger, and the king now knew that he would have the wizard's full attention – and the others'. He leant back against his chair and started to speak, slowly and thoughtfully.
"Last night, the lady Galadriel came to me in a dream, showing me the phial she gave to Frodo. The jewel contains the light of Eärendil – or more correctly, it contains the light of the Silmaril on the prow of his ship."
"A ship? In the sky?" Eowyn looked very skeptically. To Aragorn's surprise, it was Faramir who answered.
"Yes, I heard the story. After Eärendil the Mariner went to Amman to beg the Valar for their aid in Middle-Earth, he was given a place in the sky. On his ship Vingilot, he had to bring hope to the people on the grey shores. Legend has it that Elbereth herself placed one of the three Silmarils on the prow." Suddenly, Faramir became aware that he had the attention of all assembled in the hall, among whom was a centuries-old-elf-lady, and his cheeks became faintly red.
"At least, that is what I heard about it, but I do not pretend to know this better than the firstborn." Elentìriel smiled gently at his words.
"You told the essence of it well, son of Denethor. Indeed, Eärendil is not a star, but his pure light radiates from Feänor's crafting itself."
"I know this," Aragorn intervened, "but even so, the mentioning of Eärendil guides my thoughts towards the stars. They may be less in beauty than the Silmaril, but they are purer, for no war has ever been fought for them."
"There was a battle once, Estel. Long ago, even before the wakening of the elves at Cuivienen. Morgoth tried to destroy Elbereth's pureness, but the Valar defeated him, and they placed the Valacirca, a constellation of stars high in heaven to mock him. Afterwards, Varda created the second stars, the ones we still see."
"So the youngest ellyn have never been spoiled by rage and blood-lust?"
"No."
"Then my theory still stands. We need stars as the fifth element." Here, Faramir stepped forward.
"But you have still not told us how we'll have to catch a star, my lord." Aragorn smiled.
"I believe I did."
"Then how?"
"Dew." It was silent again, before Eowyn spoke.
"Well, I'm sorry Aragorn, but I fear you'll have to give us some more information before we understand what you're talking about." Her voice was a little sarcastic and frustrated, but at that moment, Arwen's clear laughter rang through the hall.
"Melleth nin, you are wonderful!" Both the steward and his wife looked at her in bewilderment.
"Are we the only ones who areat a complete loss here?" The elf smiled gently.
"My apologies, my good friends, but I believe Estel has indeed found the solution to our problem. Please, melleth nin, explain."
"Perhaps one of the firstborn could explain this better. Elentìriel?" The young lady had been staring at the window, and turned around startled.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Perhaps you would explain why dew will be our solution," Aragorn repeated patiently, silently wondering why the elf had been so distracted. He should keep an eye on her. For now, he chose not to comment though, and Elentìriel quickly regained her wits.
"Oh. Off course." She took a deep breath. "It isn't hard to tell though. The legend goes that in the Elder Days, every morning lady Varda collected the silver dew from Telperion's branches and leaves. When the Two Trees were destroyed, she used it to create the second stars. Therefore, using dew will allow us to capture the essence of the ellyn – or so we hope. It was one of Estel's better ideas," she smirked, but Aragorn didn't fail to notice her eyes were still absent. Eowyn thought a few seconds about her answer, before her lips curled into a smile.
"It is a simple as that? Dew?"
"Perhaps we could give it some more strength by taking dew from the White Tree?" Faramir suggested, also smiling. "After all, he is a descendant of Telperion." Gandalf nodded and rose with a grunt.
"Excellent idea, young steward. Well, I see no cause for any delay. Aragorn, can you make sure the dew is collected and brought to me? In the mean time, I will set up the beginnings for the counter-spell. I need silence, five white candle and five bowls. I will be at the courtyard. Make sure some guards keep everyone away." The wizard disappeared in the corridor, but his low voice still rang clearly audible. "And I do not want to be disturbed!"
The others grinned almost sheepishly, relieved that the nightmare finally seemed to beending, as one after the other, they left the chamber; Faramir to give the guards their orders, Eowyn to get the bowls with their content, and Arwen to fetchthe white candles. When Elentìriel tried to slip through the door though, Aragorn stopped her, looking at her with a gaze full of concern.
"Tiri, please a word. You have been so absent during our conversation. What is on your mind?"
"'Tis nothing, Estel." She brushed off his hand and tried again to escape, but Aragorn held her firmly. His voice was soft and warm, using a tone he knew would penetrate through Elentìriel's defenses.
"Tiri. Please." She stiffened, before sagging against the man. Then, she turned her ear against his chest and listened to the beating of his heart. Slowly, her words on his rhythm, she began to speak.
"I didn't want to tell you, Estel. I wanted to spare you this but…"
"But what?" With moist eyes, she looked up at him.
"It's Legolas." She took a deep breath, before the words tumbled out of her mouth. "He's not doing well, Estel. Not well at all… I fear for him. I fear that whatever we will do now, it will not be enough to save him. The plague has destroyed him utterly. What if he won't heal? What if…?"
"Don't speak like that."
"But it's true! Estel, why can't you see this! He's gone!"
"No! I will not accept this! And you must not think about it!" His cry startled the elf-maiden, and she kept silent. Sighing softly, Aragorn continued in a softer voice. "Elentìriel, he isn't dead yet. We will face troubles as they arise, not sooner. Please, be with me on this. Do not despair. Can you do that for me?" She hesitated for a moment, and then surrendered. Still, the grief was plain in her eyes, but there was nothing Aragorn could do at the moment. He squeezed her shoulder encouragingly.
"Come, let us go to the citadel."
"Mithrandir didn't want to be disturbed."
"I know, I would like to see whether he required something else."
"Yes. Peace."
"Then I'm going to instruct the guards."
"Faramir already did."
"Then I'm going to give some more instructions! Don't tell me you aren't curious aboutwhat Gandalf is doing, Tiri, because I won't believe you. Are you coming?" He left the room, wondering about the contradiction of this conversation. In normal circumstances, Elentìriel would be the one begging to accompany Mithrandir, and he would be the one pointing at the annoyance of a certain wizard. But alas, the situation was anything but normal, forcing everything to fall out of place.
"Fine then." To his relief, Elentìriel's voice sounded gruff, but not despairing anymore. It was very difficult to cope with Elentìriel's changing moods. Just like all Nando, she was changeable as the seasons, the one moment merry and jolly, the other cold. He hoped she would be able to tame her elvish nature better when Legolas was up again.
He refused to even think about the other possibility.
The night was one of the longest Aragorn had ever had to endure – and that included the many sleepless, cold nights in the North, in the middle of hostile territory. The darkness seemed to be determined to conquer the palace forever. Every time Aragorn looked from his bed to the moon, it looked almost as if Ithil hadn't moved at all. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and made his way to the hall. Perhaps the crackling fire would be a patient companion during this eternal waking.
Not bothering to slip on shoes, Aragorn walked bare-footed to the hall. His silent steps made little noise upon the cold floor, but he was glad when he could finally sit down near the warmth of the fire. The stones of the palace were chill at night.
To his surprise, he found another slim figure already present. Her hair became a deep gold in the reddish glue of the flames, and for a second, Aragorn thought she was asleep. Then, her eyelids fluttered and she looked at him. Her breathing hitched, before she relaxed again and sat up.
"Aragorn. I hadn't expected you here."
"I am sorry to wake you," the man apologized.
"Don't worry, I wasn't sleeping." She smiled wearily. "But I am not the only one, I see." Aragorn sighed and sank down next to Eowyn on the couch, staring into the fire. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"How can I sleep, Eowyn? Legolas' life hangs by a thread, and all we can do is waiting until dawn, until Varda has spread her dew over the world again. It's maddening!"
"If you know there is nothing you can do, then why are you so eager to act? The pentagram is ready, the bowls are filledwith earth, water and air. We just have to wait a little more. So be at peace, Aragorn. I know what it is like to be powerless, but you just have to accept it." When the man studied her face, she looked back calmly.
She had changed during this crisis. Normally, she was the bright one, the woman who would challenge his guards for an horse-race or shoo the king out of his room to go outside. She was the first to ready the horses when duties called them to distant regions. But these last weeks, she had turned. She had become the temperate one, the one who cared and hushed. She had helped lady Ioreth with the treatment of the elves, and had been the one to wake next to Legolas' bed while Aragorn and Elentìriel had been traveling to Isengard.
The king understood the wisdom of her words. He truly did. But the knowledge that he was powerless to spur the time didn't abate his feelings of restlessness. He couldn't stay seated by the fire, so he rose and walked to the great window, ignoring the cold tugging on his feet. Once he was there, he found himself unable to stand still, and walked back.
Eowyn looked at him from beneath her half-closed eyes, but didn't comment. She looked rather comfortable in her seat, a thick, white blanket draped around her warmly. Aragorn sighed and turned again. This time, he hadn't made it to the window when the sound of a creaking door made him look up. As beautiful as a winter's dream, Arwen was standing at the threshold, smiling lightly.
"It seems I will not be alone this night. Goodnight to you, Eowyn," she spoke gently, entering the hall. The Shieldmaiden smiled back, but didn't rise. The two had swiftly become friends, probably because of their kindred, fiery spirits, making them behind those kind of formalities now.
Graciously, Arwen took Aragorn's vacant seat near the fire. The red flames beautifully set her face on fire and made her hair glow warmly. She looked at the king.
"Meleth nin, please sit down. You are going to walk a trace in our floor if you continue like that." After a moment of hesitation, Aragorn fell helplessly into a chair and unconsciously started swinging his feet. A deep sigh arose from the seat next to him, and he quickly mumbled an apology, forcing his body to keep still.
It was not an easy job. Worry bit through his limbs, almost compelling movement. Fortunately, they were distracted by another arrival. This time it was Faramir standing in the hall. Eowyn shot up.
"My love, did I wake you?"
"You can't wake someone who isn't sleeping, Eowyn," the steward smiled lovingly. "May I join you?" Quickly, Eowyn made some free place, but as soon as her husband sat, she shove her bare, slender feet on his lap and laid her head down on the cushions again.
"I guess that leaves Elentìriel," Arwen stated. "I wonder when she will arrive." Aragorn snorted.
"Knowing her, not long. I would guess she's already on her way here."
"Yes, I met her on her way to the kitchens. She was fetching some tea for us first, for apparently, she already suspected we would be here," Faramir answered, and looked at the door. "There she is already." Indeed, the she-elf had appeared in the door, carrying a tray with boiling tea. She put it down on a little table.
"I thought you might need this. Help yourself."
It was a long time before the sun rose.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that the pentagram will indeed help ;) Please review!
xXx Archiril