2.8.21 Update: Revising these old chapters before I post new content this week. New Chapter *18* coming this week!
Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien
AN: Sorry! Updates will be coming in at least weekly once again. This one is a bit short but it was a good stopping point. Next update should be up within 48 hours. Alright, picking up from where we left off last time. Remember italics are Elvish. Let me know what you think!
Happy Reading!
Chapter 8: Departures and Arrivals
Had she really just done that? What in the world was wrong with her? Nina ran full tilt towards the relative safety of the river bank and planted herself between the Lord and Lady. Legolas wouldn't say anything in their presence would he? She was barely keeping herself from hyperventilating and refused to look up when she heard Legolas walking out of the woods. She could feel the confused gazes of all three noble elves focused on her. The ground was truly very interesting. 'What has you so discomforted my child?' Galadriel's voice rang in her head. It was really just unfair- there was no avoiding a nosey woman who can speak in your mind.
Nina finally looked up to the Lady and pushed a thought to the forefront of her mind 'I may have done something stupid.' She saw the Lady's gaze flick to Legolas and fought down a blush as a large grin lit up the imposing woman's face.
'I like the match. Should we make some time for you to say farewell alone Nina?' The teasing from everyone in her life was starting to get a bit old.
'No thank you'. She shot a glare at her mentor and returned her attention to the gathering as Celeborn had begun to speak.
"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Each of the Fellowship received their cloaks and Nina relaxed just a little. Those cloaks would be saving her friends from some precarious situations more than once in the near future.
Galadriel addressed the line of travelers in front of her and prepared to distribute her gifts, "My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadhirm. Worthy of the skill of our woodland kin" the Elf looked wonderingly down at the pristine bow that Nina had personally selected from the Galadhirm's bower, not that she would admit that to him now after... that. Galadriel distributed the selfsame gifts Nina remembered from the books and smiled as Gimli stuttered out his request.
Motioning to the Evenstar around Aragorn's neck Galadriel addressed the reluctant future king "I have nothing greater to give than the gift you already bear. For her love, I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar will diminish."
"I would have her leave these shores and be with her people. I would have her take the ship to Valinor." Aragorn looked overwhelmed by sorrow and Nina longed to tell him that Arwen had refused to leave but she couldn't risk Aragorn messing with the way the story needed to unfold.
It appeared Galadriel was interested in giving him a sliver of hope "That choice is yet before her. You have your own choice to make, Aragorn. To rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin. Farewell, there is much you have left to do." If Nina remembered her storyline correctly Galadriel was supposed to tell him they wouldn't meet again. When the words were left unspoken she assumed Galadriel had spoken them in his mind. It was getting hard to keep up with the information each member of the assembled company knew. Nina found herself slightly envious of Galadriel's abilities.
The Fellowship loaded themselves into the boats and Nina found herself clinging to Galadriel's hand trying not to cry. It was ridiculous- she would see most of them in a matter of weeks! This was not the time to freak out. Once all of the boats were cast off She finally allowed her gaze to settle on the Mirkwood prince who was staring right back at her. Nina felt herself blushing but couldn't break the connection. Just as his and Gimli's boat was about to go around the bend that would bring him out of sight, he shot her a large grin and even at that distance she saw him mouth the words 'See you soon little one'.
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The young elleth had been standing on the bank of the river all day. The girl's gaze was locked on the bend downriver as if the force of her stare would bring the boats back. When he and his brothers had teased her about her attachment to the Mirkwood prince, Haldir hadn't considered how far it went. Now he was faced with the uncomfortable possibility that his little sister was more than half-way in love with him. He wasn't equipped to deal with that emotional mess but unfortunately Nina had failed to make many friends and he wasn't sure if he could really ask the Lady for help on this.
"So, sister, how long until we should expect you to chase after the green leaf?" His tone was teasing but when Nina turned to meet his eyes there was no humor in them. She flushed, dropping her eyes to the ground.
"Something needs to happen before I can follow the fellowship. You'll know when it does." Her failure to even remotely deny the implied attachment to the Mirkwood ellon resolved Haldir's suspicions. What he was not expecting was what came out next, "considering what's about to happen to them I very much doubt that Legolas or anyone else will be pleased when they see me." The sight of tears falling down her cheeks galvanized the shocked elf into action. He moved closer and wrapped his arms around his little sister. Sometimes he forgot how much the burden of her foresight weighed on her.
"Legolas understands that you are bound by forces beyond your control. He will not begrudge you for withholding such information. If he does you have three loving brothers who will thrash him for you, prince or not." That got a laugh out of her as he'd intended and she kissed him on the cheek mumbling something that may have been a 'thank you'.
After a few more minutes of getting her emotions back under control Nina pulled out of Haldir's arms. "I haven't eaten all day. Let's go find dinner. Race you!" Without any warning she shot off in the direction of the brothers' flet. Cursing under his breath Haldir gave chase silently remarking that Nina was occasionally every inch the child her age indicated. The thought made him smile and he considered just letting her beat him this time if only to win a moment of happiness for her.
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Caras Galadhon was dead silent when Gandalf walked up to greet the Lord and Lady. In fact, the only people who seemed not to be in a stupor were the rulers and a young elleth on the Lady's left. It wasn't often one shocked an elf so Gandalf pressed the memory of their faces into his mind for later amusement. Chances were that he'd lose the image in the chaos that was his overfull mind but it would turn up eventually and he'd cherish the memory when it did. That done, he turned his piercing gaze to the elleth. She was young! Not just the eternal youthful appearance of the elves but if he wasn't mistaken she was barely more than a child. There were hardly any children in these woods and he'd been here recently enough that he should have recognized her and yet he didn't. Just who was this youngling that Galadriel clearly favored?
"Welcome, old friend. We have been waiting for you. Please join us inside; we have much to speak of. Nina, you will join us." With that the Lady of Light and her Lord turned to enter their home clearly expecting Gandalf and the elleth (Nina, he reminded himself musing at the unusual name) to follow. They wordlessly filed in and sat around the table laden with fruits and decanters of wine and water. "You have quite a story to tell but you need not tell us. We already know what has come to pass. You shall replace Saruman as the White wizard."
"How did you..." he trailed off unable to finish his sentence. Galadriel's gaze reached far but even she could not see through death to the other side. If she could, a lot of the issues when Glorfindel returned could have been avoided.
"I believe you have yet to be introduced to our young friend. This is Nina Hunter and she has been brought to us as you have been brought back to us by the Valar at the turning of the tides."
"From where to do you hail child? I do not believe I've even seen any of the first born who appear as you do."
Nina had expected this. Black pin straight hair and bright green eyes weren't exactly common among elves and she was rather short for an elleth. "I have only recently joined the ranks of the first born Mithrandir. My home world was a world of mankind and had no magic to speak of. The Valar molded me into someone that could help when the time came. I know what has happened and what is going to happen should the fellowship and other key actors remain true to their course. I am here to rectify some of the small errors in the story that do not change the outcome but will save lives needlessly lost." She was a little impressed that he didn't interrupt her at all but then again, the wizard had the patience that extraordinary age lent someone.
Gandalf was clearly surprised and turned to the Lord and Lady for confirmation. It wasn't that Gandalf didn't believe the strange girl but her story was close to being beyond belief. "She speaks true, old friend. Nina has been with us for several months and will be going with you when you leave us to find your companions. You may be glad for her company- she does, after all, know exactly where they will be." Galadriel smiled serenely at him and Gandalf nodded absently.
The rest of their discussion turned into round upon round of questions Nina was compelled to answer about herself, her home, the change the Valar put her through, her slow progress with the Elvin language (as if she needed MORE criticism about her failing language skills), and their plans for departure.
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By the time they'd decided to leave at first light and set a course for Fangorn forest the sun was well past set and Nina nervously made her way to her Brother's shared flet. This was not a conversation she'd been looking forward to. Rumil answered the door. Reminding her again that she could just come in, knocking was for strangers. The look on her face stopped his teasing and he immediately called Orophin and Haldir. They did not take it well.
Somehow the idea of Nina going off and involving herself in the coming war hadn't really sunk in for them yet even though they'd known since the day she arrived that she'd be leaving. The elleth had become family and Nina suddenly understood the overprotective quality of brothers she'd heard friends from school back in her world complain about. Eventually they relented once it became clear that their disapproval was not going to dissuade her and it was only making her upset.
They insisted on walking her back to her flet, helping her pack (and by helping they of course meant they would be lying around watching her do so), and they promised to meet her at the stables before dawn. With that they finally left the exhausted girl to catch several hours of rest.
Panic set in less than thirty seconds after they'd closed her door behind them. It was one thing to PLAN this journey that literally threw her in the middle of a war and entirely another thing to actually go through with it. Her resolve held firm even through the fear which preoccupied her thoughts and she collected her traveling pack (filled with tunics, leggings, one gown Rumil had insisted she would need, lembas, her waterskin, a satchel filled with dozens of packets of different medicinal herbs and basic medical supplies, and grinding stones for her blades), strapped on her short sword and dagger, and slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder. She was ready.
Her brothers were waiting for her in the stables as promised. What she hadn't expected was to see Haldir's favorite Horse saddled with tack the leather workers had made for her a month ago. Nina tried to fight back irrational tears but she felt several slip down her cheeks before she could stop them and hugged each of her brothers soundly before accepting Haldir's leg up onto Tala's back. The mare was strong but she was built more for speed than for battle which suited Nina just fine especially when she saw Gandalf riding into the clearing on Shadowfax. Tala would have to work hard to keep up with the Lord of all Horses. Nina suppressed a laugh as she saw her mare eye the stallion and flick her tail as if unimpressed.
With a final round of farewells the pair rode along the pathways of Caras Galadhon in the direction of Fangorn. By Gandalf's estimates they could make the journey in several days which would have them arriving just in time to meet up with the hobbits. They didn't speak much beyond the occasional question that popped into the wizards head but neither rider minded. Nina was too caught up in her contemplation of exactly what she'd gotten herself into and Gandalf was busy trying to figure out what to make of the girl who was willingly sacrificing herself for a cause that wasn't hers in a world that wasn't hers for people she had only just met.
When they lost the light Gandalf called a halt to their trek though the outskirts of Caras Galadhon and they set up camp. The wizard's curiosity got the best of him "Why are you helping the fellowship?" The question was direct and unapologetically pointed.
"I read of the war of the Ring in my world as you know. The fellowship are all good people, with good hearts, and I would have helped them if I'd met them in my world. The Valar really made the decision for me. I was brought here for a purpose, I intend to fulfill it especially now that I've met the people I'm meant to be helping and consider them my friends."
"What did you make of them when you spent time with them in the city?" Gandalf was half curious to her reaction and half hoping she'd give him some indication as to how they were dealing with his death.
"They're all so broken up about your loss. It was interesting to meet the Hobbits. Gimli took a while to warm up to me considering I'm an elf and all. Aragorn is just as I imagined him when I read the books. He will make a fine King. Legolas was a good friend to me… very patient." She paused for a moment unsure what to say of the lost member. "Boromir will have died sometime this afternoon."
Gandalf's eyes shot up to her. "What?"
"Boromir tried to take the Ring from Frodo. The party was attacked by Urukhai and Boromir dies protecting Merry and Pippin who, as you know, we will meet a day ahead of the rest because they've been kidnapped. So many terrible things have happened and will keep happening and I cannot change them."
"The Valar are not intentionally cruel, child. I think that they simply lack an understanding of what compassion is on a basic level. They selected you because you were the best for the task but I do not think they realized the toll it would take on your heart to have to stand by and watch such things." The old wizard placed a comforting hand on her shoulder briefly before laying out his bedroll and, by all appearances, falling asleep instantly.
Nina appreciated the wizard's words even if they didn't exactly make her feel better. Resigned to the fact that she was too far along her course to do anything about it now, Nina settled down to sleep. Her last thought was the realization that she was one day closer to the impending reunion between her and the fellowship: between her and Legolas.
AN: Not my best work. This chapter was mostly set up for chapter 9. Let me know what you think please!