Chapter 2
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I know that Nix is Mary-sueish. She will be fixed in later chapters.
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~Last time~
Aragorn approached her carefully and stood next to her.
"You are like me."
Nix tilted her head, looking into the eyes of his reflection.
"How so?"
"A human raised by the elves, gifted with a long life."
Nix smiled and placed a flower into the water, disrupting the surface and causing Aragorn's reflection to disappear.
"Were you as confused by the elves as I am?"
"Depends, are you about to tear your hair out?"
"I have a lot of it. It could take a while."
Aragorn laughed as he looked at her cinnamon curls that tumbled down her back.
"Indeed."
Nix smiled and placed another lily into the water.
Aragorn touched the delicate petals of the flower before watching it swirl in the middle of the pond. Nix added another flower to the bowl.
"Besides, you are not a simple woman, you are a Daraunedian. A human with long life."
Nix smiled and nodded slowly.
"You are in many ways similar to the Argonath." Aragorn tilted his head and Nix continued, swirling her fingers in the water and watching as the flowers spiralled in the ripples they created.
"You continue to stand against the tide, even as you know lives are lost everyday, and will continue to do so until the war is over, and even then, Orcs and goblins still exist. The world will never be perfect."
Aragorn's face darkened and he spoke softly.
"I would rather live in dangerous freedom, than a peaceful slavery. What of you?"
Nix said nothing and the three flowers became trapped underwater from the small whirlpool that Nix had created. Aragorn reached out and cupped the flower in one of his large palms.
The water drained from his hand and he placed the flower behind Nix's ear.
"You know that you cannot stay in safety your whole life. To do so would be a waste of a perfectly strong warrior."
"I am not a warrior."
"You could be one, I could teach you to fight."
Sardonyx's eyes flicked to Aragorn's and she grinned slightly.
"I said I was not a warrior. I didn't say that I can't fight."
Aragorn raised an eyebrow.
"Galadriel told me you were not trained with any weapon."
Nix smiled.
"I am not. But Lothlorien is not all golden trees and blue skies. There's an underground fighting club where the younger elves wrestle."
Aragorn laughed heartily and threw his head back.
"I would like to see this club sometime. But in the meanwhile, I wish you a good day, Lady Sardonyx."
Nix bowed her head.
"You too, Lord Aragorn. But please, it's just Nix. I am not an elf, and I am proud. I am proud of my heritage, as you should be also."
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Boromir packed and re-packed his bag, Lothlorien was beautiful, but there was something off. Something that frightened him. He couldn't place his finger on why. Maybe it was their ruler.
Galadriel threw him off. It was as if she could see right through him and into his head, he felt violated when her voice echoed in his head. She had told him about his father, about Gondor. How he could save it if he just took the ring from Frodo.
But he was not a man of no honor. He knew what was right, at least, what was right to him.
Boromir sighed and tensed as he heard footsteps behind him. He knew he could never be in danger from anything in Lothlorien, but old reflexes die hard. He needed to get out of this confining atmosphere. He needed to do something.
Aragorn had told him about the underground fighting club, but he had refrained from telling him where it was. He decided against it, damn elves would already have an unfair advantage. Damn elves and their elegance.
It wasn't like he had something against elves, he was just in a foul mood, and everything seemed unfair at the moment. A smooth voice interrupted his thoughts.
"The Lady Galadriel requires your presence."
Boromir groaned inwardly and nodded his head. Following behind the elf, he took in the beautiful scenery of Caras Galadhon, knowing that it might be the last time he could soak it up.
Boromir looked around the clearing with awe, Galadriel seemed to glow slightly, as did the maiden beside her… wait. Boromir looked her over again, she was no elf. For one, her ears lacked the pointed tips, and instead of the sharp facial features that most elves had, she had a rather rounded face with soft features and plump lips.
Nix noticed him looking her up and down and caught his stare. His grey eyes met her's and Nix froze. She recognised him from her dream, She dropped her gaze and her hands trembled slightly. She focused on what Galadriel was saying to try and distract herself from the man across from her who was soon to die.
"To you, Frodo, I give the light of Eärendil. May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out."
Nix bent down and fastened one of the Lothlorien brooches on his cloak before bending down to touch her forehead to his.
"To you two, Meriadoc and Peregrin Took, I give these, Elven daggers. They have seen battle before, may they serve you as well as their previous masters."
Nix fastened Pippin and Merry's brooches and did the same.
"To you, Samwise Gamgee, I give you a length of elvish rope, woven by myself and Lady Nix."
Nix smiled as she remembered the many hours she and Naneth had spent making the rope. Sam took the gift shyly and held the silver rope in his hands.
"Thank you, My lady. Have you run out of those nice shiny daggers?"
Galadriel smiled at him without responding and when Nix came to Sam, she smoothed out his cloak on his shoulder.
"My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow worthy of the Galadhrim. Worthy of our woodland kin."
Legolas turned over the bow in wonder and Nix had to duck to avoid the bowstring hitting her in the face.
"Careful, it's strung with elf-hair. Don't waste a single arrow, though I doubt you will."
Nix clipped the brooch around his shoulders and laughed softly as he ran his hands over the intricate patterns on the bow.
Galadriel walked to Aragorn and touched his evenstar necklace tenderly. Her voice was softer than normal, and Nix didn't have elf-ears so she couldn't hear what he said.
Nix was slightly annoyed that she couldn't hear what her Naneth was saying to the ranger, but she wasn't a creep so she didn't try eavesdrop. But she did catch a bit of elvish.
"-Am meleth dîn, i ant e guil Arwen Undómiel pígatha."
(For her love, I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar will diminish.)
"Aníron i e broniatha, ad ae periatham athar i methid en-amar hen. Aníron i e círatha na Valannor."
(I would have her leave these shores and be with her people. I would have her take the ship to Valinor.)
Nix creased her brow and waited until Galadriel had turned to the other man.
Stepping forward, she pinned the brooch into his cloak and had to go on tip-toes to touch her forehead to his, even then, he had to bend down a little.
"So, we meet again Lady Sardonyx."
Nix smiled and mocked him back.
"My Lord Aragorn, I am surprised that you have not taken your leave of us yet, would have thought you would be excited about becoming king of Gondor."
Aragorn gave his little half-smile, and Nix stole a glance at the necklace he wore, it was an Evenstar alright. They were similar in more ways than possible. Similtaniously, their hands reached for the pendants around thair necks and they exchanged a smile.
"Being a half-elf is not easy, but do," Aragorn's voice was barely a whisper and only Nix could hear what he said. "Please do not deprive your hair from your head. However stressful your days may be. I hope our roads find one another some day."
Nix laughed and moved on to Boromir,
'Oh Valar, help me.'
It wasn't as if there was something wrong with him, more the fact that Nix knew that sometime in the next moon, he was going to die.
She focused on the words that Galadriel was saying and not the man in front of her. But soon enough, the moment of doom came.
Her fingers fumbled on his cloak and she fastened it hurriedly. Then, she forced herself to calm down, and press her forehead to his. His grey eyes bore into her own and she flushed as his warm breath fanned over her skin.
Nix was rather relieved that she didn't need to bend down, neither tip-toe like she had to with the hobbits and Aragorn. But she was rather scared from the fact that in a few days, he could be dead.
Galadriel shot her and Boromir a look but said nothing.
Nix frowned and smoothed out her dress.
'In a few minutes I will have you burned.' she thought to the dress and looked the company over again, Galadriel was talking to Gimli and the rest of them were standing in their line, stareing either at her, or Galadriel.
Once Galadriel was finished, she stepped back to talk to all of the company.
"To all of you, I give the greatest gift of all, this is Lady Sardonyx. She will guide you through the perils of the edge of Lothlorien, and if necessary, to the fires of Mordor itself. The Company will be nine once again."
Nix falt their eyes scrutinising her, she was a woman, she had no visible weapons, and she wasn't even an elf. The last one was probably from Legolas.
They started murmuring to themselves, but Aragorn turned to them and stood by Nix.
"She has offered us her help, we do not know these woods. But I daresay that she does, it would be foolish not to accept her guidance."
Out of the corner of his mouth he murmured to Nix,
"It seems our roads have found one another, and have become the same."
Nix smiled.
"Indeed. For a while."
He bowed his head and Galadriel led them toward the river, there were boats waiting for them. Nix unbuttoned her skirt while the others were not looking. She wore pants underneath and soft boots. She touched foreheads with her Naneth and Galadriel cupped her cheeks.
"Adaneth, I cannot protect you once you pass the borders of these lands. Your parents both left you a gift. I have given you your mother's."
Another dark-haired elf came forward with a beautiful sword wrapped in white cloth. The pommel gleamed with a polished beauty, and the edge was smooth and sharp. But it was not an elvish sword. It was much like Narsil, in the way that it was simple, and yet beautiful. The few details on the sword were intricate, and the hilt looked as if there were serpents winding around the metal.
Nix took it in with a wonder, but made no sound. When she did, her voice cracked slightly.
"This was my father's. I do not know how to wield it."
Galadriel nodded towards the company.
"You will learn. And teaching one how to swordfight is a small price to pay for guided passage through the woods of Lothlorien."
Nix bowed her head and took the sword, laying it down in her boat as she said her last goodbyes to Galadriel.
"I shall not find you, even if I have completed my quest. Ceri- ú- nini-, naneth sab-, an im shall see cin-"
(Weep not, Mother mine, for I shall see you.)
"I shall see you in dreams. And in memories. I wish to stay in Middle Earth. I am not an elf. And I never will be. I have to stay with my kind."
Galadriel smiled.
"Adaneth, I am always with you. Sometimes, you just cannot see me."
Bending closer, she whispered into Sardonyx's ear.
"I am afraid that fate is creeping closer. As are the orcs. Be swift. Lothron i galad -o i elena mír- thar cín paths, n- legin nin hén."
(May the light of the stars shine across your paths, Be swift my child.)
Nix nodded, and with a final farewell, they parted. The radiance of the elves seemed to fade away from Nix, and she climbed into the boat next to Pippin.
She guided the boat through the water with swift and well calculated strokes. She and the younger elves had rowed down this river many times. And she knew every bend.
She was silent. And Merry soon grew uncomfortable.
"Umm M'lady, If you wouldn't mind me asking-"
"My name is Sardonyx. But please, it's Nix."
"Ohh. Sardonyx isn't an elf name, is it?"
Nix smiled, this was a sharp one.
"No. I am not an elf. Sardonyx is a type of stone."
Merry nodded and cracked a grin.
"Gimli would like you then."
For a moment, Nix was confused, then her brow furrowed.
"The dwarf?"
"Yeah. He likes mining stuff. I think, I don't really talk to him much. Dwarves like caves, right?"
The next few hours passed likewise, and Nix was sure to keep them going in a straight line down the river. Soon, Aragorn signalled for them to stop and camp on the banks of the river.
Nix banked them and unpacked a few tents from her boat. Her and Aragorn set them up and they managed to hold a conversation for a while before Sam called them for supper.
"So. Sardonyx is a type of stone, is it not?" Gimli said, somewhat gruffly.
Nix nodded her head.
"Yes, yes it is."
Gimli frowned slightly.
"Why would an elf be named after a stone, may I ask?"
Nix laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. It was not pointed.
"I am not an elf. And they didn't name me. A few of them tried to change my name to Elena hén. It means Star-child. Naneth- I mean, Galadriel, wouldn't let them."
Gimli nodded and slowly warmed to her. She was not an elf, and besides, there was something about her. She was different from the elves in more ways than just her ears. And yet different from men in another.
Well, of course she was different, she was a woman.
Gimli was brought back to the present with Nix's deep laughter. Another thing that set her apart from the others. Most of the other human girls he had met were giggly blonde and had high voices. Nix's voice was deep but somehow feminine, and she didn't giggle, she laughed or chuckled.
"Master dwarf? Are you ok?"
"I'm good lass. It's nothin'."
Nix nodded and looked down at the river. Her eyes narrowed and she flicked her gaze toward a cluster of trees and looked at Aragorn. He caught on and appointed Boromir to first watch.
Nix waited until they were out of sight and hearing of the company before stopping and crouching in the shrubs near the riverbank.
"What troubles you Lady-"
Nix grabbed Aragorn's arm and tugged him toward the ground. Her eyes glinted in the moonlight shimmering off the surface of the lake.
She pointed out at the opposite bank. There, a small log had a pale limb protruding from it.
"What is this thing? It has been haunting you since the falling of Mithrandir."
"It is Gollum, I tried to catch him once, but he is a skilled riverman."
The corner of Nix's mouth twitched up in a malicious smirk.
"You can't beat a Dunedian on her own turf."
Aragorn felt a small twinge of pride.
"You learn fast."
"You teach well."
"I haven't taught you swordfighting yet."
"Are you going to start yet?"
"Maybe…"
Nix grinned.
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I don't know if my chapter's are long enough. Leave a review? Please? I need feedback.
And I know that the LOTR fandom is now almost 20 years old, but I still love it.