Whew! What a heavy chapter :'( Poor Gandalf. Okay this chappie's gonna be much more fluffy to lighten the mood!

Chapter Eighteen
Of Prissy Elves and Other Stuff

Lothlorien, the fabled forest of Light is finally in our sights. Thank God too, because my lungs are on fire. I didn't sign up for the workout of my life when I joined this, but I've actually turned almost all my fat to muscle. Everyone's dog-tired, so we're more like hopping than running. Kinda like retarded bunnies. Hey you know what; I'm allowed to think whatever I want to.

The forest is eerily quiet. We gingerly walk, following Aragorn MSM, (aka Manly Stubble Man) who's filling in Gandalf's place as leader. I don't really know how this happened, as we didn't even vote or anything. Whateves. Panting, we all listen as Gimli talks trash about the elves here and an elf witch, who with one look ensnares all men, or something like that. That has to be Galadriel. I am not sure what it will be like to meet the she-elf who is sister to my own race's queen.

At the very thought of her name, something in my brain growls angrily. The more I thought about her, the angrier I felt. Every fiber in my body tingled with warning. Then...

Arrows. Sharp arrows. In my face.

"That dwarf breathes so loudly, we could have shot him in the dark." Said Haldiar snottily. Not him again. Can't say I was surprised that he was here either.

"But you didn't. So that's saying something isn't it?" I spat sarcastically. He only looked at me incuriously. "I remember you. Can't say I missed your face too much though." He curtly replied.

I opened my mouth to be all like 'You wanna mess?" But stupid Aragorn MSM had to put his hand on my mouth and say, "we need your protection," To Haldiar, who raised his eyebrows and motioned for us to be taken to the White Lady. And I mean literally taken hostage style. It's not like I was gonna walk into Isengard and TELL Sauraman the secret location of this place. After 40 minutes of more walking, we made it to their tree home village.

It was very ethereal, and also a little creepy. We went up spiral steps on trees, (which made me dizzy.) All around us, light essences floated and flitted around. A kind of music I guess you could say was playing, but it was so…emotional, it sounded more like the voices of grievous elves that had died. I shivered. Rivendell was so much less creepy! Haldiar turned around.

"The Lady and Lord of Lothlorien wish to converse with you. Be respectful." He walked off to the side, standing with other elf guards.

Almost on cue, floating down the steps, come two of the prettiest beings I have ever seen. I mean it, like pretty-pretty. Like the fluffiest white kitten that you just wanna squeeze, pretty. ANYWAY, they float down the steps and say,

"Nine there are here yet ten there were of late. Tell me where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him." Asks Lord Celebrion.

We looked guiltily at one another.

"He has fallen into shadow…" Galadriel reads from our minds.

She stared into the eyes of each one of us, and I watched with interest who held her gaze and who didn't. Boromir and Mark both lowered their eyes, Aragorn and Legolas didn't. To my surprise, she didn't even look at me once. However, I could feel her prying inside my mind and I wanted her out. To purposely shut her out, I began to gaurd my thoughts through a technique I had learned from The Realm book. All I had to do was concentrate harder...

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife, stray but a little and it will fall, to the ruin of all." As soon as those words parted her lips, the Fellowship gave a collective intake of breath. She smiled a grin only elves can create. Something that was half-happiness and half-sorrow.

"Yet, there is hope while the company remains true…do not let your hearts be troubled, for you are weary with much grief and toil. Go now and rest…" She spoke softly, lullingly.

There was something innocent, almost sweet about her. And indeed, the face of Galadriel was incomparably fair. This was no Blanchett. You would never be able to guess the thousands of ages of knowledge behind her crystal blue eyes. Though I marveled her to my very bones, I did not trust her. Her innocence seemed like a painted masquerade. It was apparent that Galadriel the Elf was no friend to Fay kind.

Her voice wouldn't leave, though dimmed; it wouldn't stop talking. It said things like:

"You are not especially welcome here Cousin. If you were not part of such an important task, you would not be in such pleasant circumstances. Do not anger me Nienna. You will find the elves very distrustful of you. Don't be so foolish. These people are not your friends. They would betray you in an instant."

What does that mean?

"I think you know of what I speak." A flash of Galadriel's face glaring daggers came into my head.

"Ahhh!" I grabbed my head, as my skull injury reopened, blood dripped down my back.

"Lily?" In front of the fellowship appeared a tall, skinny, blonde she-elf.

"Yes, Milady?" She said, curtsying at Galadriel.

"Please bring all the females some new clothes while we wash their garments."

"Yes, Milady." She departed.

"Haldiar?"

"Yes Milady?" He answered.

"Please show our guests to their sleeping accommodations."

"Of course Milady." He bowed dutifully and led us out. Our sleeping arrangements were that the men have a tree-house to sleep in, and the girl's tree house was next door. This suited us fine, as we now had time to do girly stuff, and didn't have to smell like men anymore. The fellowship parted their separate ways, and thus we began our stay in Lothlorien.

"Okay…so who doesn't think Aragorn is hot?" Colyne said, us girls surrounding her, wrapped in blankets. I raised my hand.

"What? Really? Why?" she asked me. I pinched the bottom of my chin so it made a cleft.

"Because girls, I am so like big and strong. I'm so great that I don't need to shower anymore! Plus I have the added bonus of having a butt-chin and-," we all cracked up like the juvenile Juniors we used to be.

"No I got this one!" Lauren said, standing up.

"Who am I now? Oh I'm so much cooler then Aragorn, I'm the real king of Gondor, I'm the captain, I protect my city, I'm-"

"You are so Boromir!" We shriek. There's a knock on our door. "Who is it?" I ask.

"Lily."

"Crap." I whisper.

"What now?"

"Could you just please let me in? I have a message from the Lady." The wooden door swung open. And the flawless pale-skinned elf stepped in.

"Ladies, and one fay, you've all been invited to the Lothlorien annual winter solstice festival. You must come in formal attire, tomorrow night." Everyone I know must've wanted to scream, but they stayed very quiet. How exciting this was! But she had spat my title like something diseased.

"Well thank you very much." Colyne said, and accepted the invitations of fine parchment scrolls.

"You're quite welcome." Lily replies in a false voice. It came to me that maybe this servant might be the very Lily everyone whispered about in Rivendell's Halls. She was Legolas' stalker! And maybe, she didn't like us newcomer women being invited to the party at all.

"Do I need to show you where the door is?" I said in a sugar-coated tone.

"Why no, don't trouble yourself." She smiled as if to say, you've-just-made-a-friend. Then she walked out the door. Everyone gave me a high five.

"You showed her!"

"I know right?"

It was late, and everyone was exhausted. The night ended with the girls all gossiping about what clothes they were going to wear.