Chapter 14
'And so the Jewel of Men has returned home.'
Annalise looked up from her Uncle and met a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Once she was able to break her gaze, she saw that the eyes belonged to a beautiful elf that she could only describe as ethereal.
The woman smiled down at the young girl gently, before Lord Elrond placed his hand on Annelise's lower back and pushed her towards the elf in front of her.
"Annelise, this is the Lady Galadriel, my wife's mother and ruler of the Golden Wood."
Upon realizing that this was the woman she was there to meet, Annelise quickly dropped into a deep curtsy before the Elven Lady.
She heard fabric brushing across the ground quietly before feeling a smooth hand lift up her chin.
"Stand, my child," Lady Galadriel said softly, raising Annelise's eyes up to meet hers once more.
"It is truly an honor to meet you, my lady."
"Ah but the honor is mine. Long have I desired to meet the woman who carries such a great destiny upon her shoulders," the lady answered back with a sparkle of interest in her eyes.
"You were the one who told Gandalf to bring me to Thorin?"
"I saw what you would become if you were to return to Rivendell, and although it was a happy life, the future would have been very different from what it is now," she answered calmly, though Annelise could detect a hint of sadness in her tone.
"That's why no one could know I was alive? Because they would have come to get me and taken me away from my father."
"Yes, dear one. Thorin Oakenshield needed you to keep his hope alive. And your hope will be much needed on this quest he has chosen to pursue. Your journey will not be an easy one and you will be faced with much grief before your true journey is finally completed."
"It sounds as though you speak of more than just this journey to the Lonely Mountain. Why is that?" Annelise asked, a bit confused by the lady's words.
"Although this quest will pose its own challenges, I fear that this journey is setting things in motion that will change the course of our future and bring about the fulfillment of the destiny that I can see surrounding you even now."
"You keep speaking of my destiny. And why is it that my being with Thorin changed the future? I am not that important. I haven't done any great deeds or fought in any battles," Annelise said softly, bowing her head a bit to look down at her feet. She felt her uncle move to rest his hand on her shoulder softly. With this touch, she glanced hesitantly into the eyes of Lord Elrond before he began to speak softly to her.
"You are more important than you think. Sometimes the most influential thing a person can do is simply bring hope. Deeds are not the only things that can impact the future. The lives that you have, and will, come into contact with are impacted by the hope and kindness that you naturally pour out. Never underestimate the power of a kind word or how the faith you have in a person can give them power as well."
Annelise looked between her uncle and the lady before her, and then nodded slightly to herself accepting the words that her uncle had spoken.
"You have grown into a strong and beautiful woman and this journey will cause you to grow even more," Lady Galadriel said suddenly, drawing Annelise's attention back to her. "The path set before you is full of trials and you will carry a large burden before the end of it."
"I know that you wish to stay with your father, so I will not ask that you remain here in Imladris," Lord Elrond continued. "Therefore I will leave you with one bit of advice that I hope will bring you peace during the hard times you will soon face."
"Those we love are never truly gone. They live on in the lives of the people whose hearts they have touched. Also you should know that your parents loved you very much. You were the light of their lives. Burning as brightly as the morning sunrise that you were born under. You have grown to be so strong, in your soul and your body, just as your father was. But you also have your mother's kindness and gentle heart. Both will serve you well in the trials that you will soon face."
"But know that should you require it, your room will always be ready for you here. You may show up in the middle of the night if you wish. You will always be welcome in my home, for it is your home also."
Annelise fought hard to keep her tears at bay, as she suddenly threw her arms around the elf who had been like a second father to her when she was young and was quickly becoming that again.
"I could not bear to stay here safe while my family continues on into danger. And I promised myself that no matter what, I would be there to watch over Bilbo Baggins. I have grown very fond of him."
"Ah yes, the Hobbit," Lord Elrond said smiling slightly to himself. "He is certainly an interesting addition to your company. But I sense that he has a great deal more to offer than he knows now."
Annelise started to speak, before a large yawn suddenly escaped from her mouth.
Lord Elrond quickly turned to her with a concerned look on his face.
"Go. Rest before dinner. I would like you to join Gandalf and my family for a small private dinner tonight in my sitting room once again."
Annelise nodded and smiled up at her Uncle and curtsied to the Lady Galadriel once more before heading back in the direction of her room.
Lady Galadriel watched the young woman descend the stairs before turning once more to Lord Elrond.
"It seems unfair that she will carry so much grief soon."
"She will face many hardships but she will come out stronger because of them. And she will not have to carry that burden alone. I have seen the future that awaits her, and though there is a great deal of loss and grief, there is even more love and happiness. You know this better than I."
"That is true, but so much of her future remains hidden, shrouded in shadows. We can only ask that the Valar will guide her steps and grant her the strength to overcome the obstacles set before her," the Lady Galadriel finished, looking into the distance, following the retreating figure of the young woman making her way back into the house.
Once Annelise made it back to her room, she laid back against the pillows stacked on her bed and looked up at the ceiling for a moment.
She then turned onto her side and saw the rose that she had set on her bedside table the night before. She picked it up and breathed in its scent deeply before standing and grabbing a book off of her vanity. She opening the book and slipped the rose carefully between the pages before gently closing the book to preserve the flower.
Once she set the book back down on the table next to her bed, she moved to lay back on her bed again. Her thoughts soon turned to the young man who had left the flower at her memorial statue.
'Poor Estel,' she thought to herself. 'First he lost his father, and then so soon after he lost his mother as well. If I had been brought back here, she might still be alive.'
"No!,' Annelise scolded herself. 'Do not blame yourself for the past. You had no control over it. And things were supposed to be this way. I only wish Estel knew I was alive all that time. To still be visiting my grave after all this time, he must be so alone.'
Annelise looked back into her memories of the small boy that had taken such care in watching over her. She could vaguely remember how he would follow her so closely when she first began walking, watching her every step and jumping in to catch her before she could fall.
Annelise quickly jumped up and moved over to sit at her vanity. Arwen had left a few sheets of parchment and a quill there the night before, though at the time Annelise had not understood why. Now she was very grateful that the elleth had.
She quickly grabbed up a sheet and the quill and wrote down a small note.
Estel,
I do not know when you might receive this note, if you receive it at all, but I feel like I should write it anyways.
It's me, Annelise. I'm sitting in my room in Imladris after discovering the truth of who I truly am. I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry for the pain that my supposed death might have caused you. To lose your mother at such a young age so soon after losing your father must have been so difficult and I am sorry for the part I might have played in it.
I pray that someday soon I can see you again. I can still remember the small boy that took such good care of me when I was so small. I do not know if I ever told you then, but thank you for being my hero and protector.
Arwen said she was afraid that you would not be returning here soon, and I can only imagine what must have happened to hurt you so much that you would leave your home. Arwen worries for you. I can see it every time she mentions you, which is often. She loves you and is so proud of the man you have become. I know she is not your true mother but I do not think she could love you anymore if she was.
I imagine that I will be leaving this beautiful place soon to continue the journey I have started with my adopted father, Thorin Oakenshield. I will leave this note in the care of Uncle Elrond to be given to you when next you visit this place. I hope we shall meet again soon, my friend. There are so many questions I want to ask you and things I would like to tell you.
Until we meet again,
Annelise
Once she finished writing, Annelise set the letter aside so the ink could dry before sealing it with wax and writing Estel on the back. She then set it back on her vanity, before moving to her bed once more and quickly falling into a deep sleep.
"Annelise. Annelise, wake up," a soft voice said quietly while a hand gently nudged the young woman's shoulder. Annelise opened her eyes slowly before turning onto her back and looking in the direction of the voice. She smiled slightly when she saw the face of Arwen looking down at her, before rubbing her eyes softly.
"It is time for dinner, little one. Father feared you would not be awake yet from your rest."
"Oh yes, of course," Annelise said as she suddenly remembered, and quickly jumped off her bed and straightened her dress and hair. She then moved to follow Arwen out the door, before suddenly remembering the letter she had set on her bedside table. She turned back and grabbed the letter before leaving the room.
"Arwen, could I ask a favor of you?"
"Of course. You know that I will do anything I can for you if it is in my power."
"I wrote this letter this afternoon," she said holding the letter out to the elf maid walking beside her. "It is for Estel. I was hoping you could give it to him when he is here next, as I am sure you will see him long before I will...if I ever do." This last sentence, Annelise said quietly to herself, thinking the woman next to her would not be able to hear her.
"You will see him again. Once he knows you are alive, I would not be surprised if he sets off looking for you the moment he finds out," the elleth replied, with a fond smile on her face as she thought of the young man who was like a son to her.
Knowing that his sorrow would be lessened, even just a little, with the knowledge that his childhood friend was alive, brought a joy to her heart she had not felt since he had left Imladris so suddenly seven years ago.
Dinner that night was much the same as breakfast had been, with the exception of their additional guest.
Annelise greatly enjoyed watching the wizard interacting with the twins, as they told stories of their latest adventures and schemes.
She particularly enjoyed the stories the wizard told of his journeys, though she knew that he was not telling every detail. When she learned of his fireworks from Elladan, she soon procured a promise from the wizard to one day show them to her.
All too soon Lord Elrond and Gandalf stood from the table, with her Uncle saying that they had some important business to discuss.
"You should go and visit your father and cousins tonight, once you are done visiting with this fine company," Gandalf said to Annelise suddenly, gesturing to Arwen and her brothers, just before he left the room behind her Uncle.
Annelise continued talking to her new family, listening to stories from their childhoods and hearing stories from Arwen about raising Estel. Annelise happened to gaze out toward one of the balconies outside of the room and realized that the sun had set long ago and she had not gone to see her father, as Gandalf had suggested.
She quickly excused herself and bid Arwen, Elrohir and Elladan goodnight, before walking toward where her father and the rest of the Company were staying.
She had been expecting most of them to be asleep, but the sight that she found was the exact opposite.
All of the dwarves and Bilbo were huddled in a circle out on the balcony of their room, whispering quietly to each other frantically.
Annelise cautiously walked over to them, not wanting to startle them as they looked quite engrossed in whatever it was they were speaking about.
Thorin was facing the opening that Annelise had walked through and noticed her enter. He quickly waved her over to join the group and she moved to sit on a chair next to him that Dwalin had vacated for her.
"What is going on, Father?"
"We must leave tonight. The Elf Lord thinks we plan to leave in two days and he will try to stop us. Gandalf has suggested that we leave in the morning, before the sun rises and before anyone in the valley will be waking up."
"Very well," Annelise said quietly, a little sad that her time with these people would be cut short so quickly. But she knew that she needed to be with her father, and that she would be able to return and visit once their mission was completed.
Thorin looked up at his daughter sadly, knowing that a part of her wanted to stay. He decided to be selfish and not say anything to her about it, afraid that she would change her mind about continuing with him.
"Go and get some rest. Either I or one of your cousins will come in the morning to bring you to our meeting place."
Annelise nodded before standing and kissing the top of her father's head and biding the rest of the group goodnight.
She saw that Bilbo had moved away from the others since she had arrived and was standing at the far end of the balcony looking out across the valley.
The waterfalls and white buildings shone brightly in the light of the moon and stars overhead, and Annelise found her breath stolen once again by the sight before her.
"It seems a pity to have to leave such a beautiful and peaceful place," the Hobbit said quietly, as though trying not to disturb the quiet that was surrounding them.
"Yes, but we will be back," she said moving her hand to his shoulder and looking down at him with a smile.
"Yes. Yes, I do believe we will be."
With these words, Annelise quickly pulled the small Hobbit into a loose hug.
"Goodnight, Bilbo Baggins," she said fondly, squeezing his shoulder before turning and walking back in the direction of her room.
Once back in the privacy of her own room, Annelise let out a few tears that she had been holding back at the thought of leaving the only place she knew that had any ties to her parents.
She allowed herself a few minutes to be upset about that fact, before pushing those feelings away and allowing the determination to be there for her father to fill her instead.
She moved to the wardrobe against the wall and grabbed her travel bag out of it. She packed the outfit she had been wearing when she arrive, and laid the new one from Arwen out by the bag, before packing her other supplies into it as well.
She then moved to her weapons and checked that they were all cleaned and sharpened before placing them where they would be easy to grab in the morning while also not alerting Arwen to the fact that she was preparing to leave, if the elf happened to visit again before she went to bed.
Annelise had just finished putting all of her things in place when there was a knock at her door. Her intuition was proved correct when she saw that it was Arwen standing at her door.
"I just thought I would stop by and tell you goodnight before you went to sleep," she said pulling the young woman into a tight hug.
"Goodnight Arwen. Thank you for taking such good care of me," Annelise said, hugging the elf maid back even tighter.
"It has been my genuine pleasure. Knowing that you are alive and here in my arms right now, brings me a happiness that I cannot put into words. I know that I keep saying this, but I cannot wait until my son finds out you are alive."
With these words, Arwen pulled away and kissed Annelise softly on the forehead, before saying goodnight and turned back around and going to her room.
Annelise suddenly felt guilty that she would be leaving without truly saying goodbye to her newest family members. She turned back to her room, shutting her door, and sat at her vanity to write a letter for the second time that day.
She wrote one for her Uncle and Arwen, as well as one for both of the twins. She told them all how much she loved them and that she would be back again soon. She also told them that, although she would have liked to stay, she needed to be with her father and be there for the Company as they continued this journey.
She set the four letters on her bedside table, where she knew Arwen would find them in the morning once she realized that she was gone.
Annelise then moved and washed her hair, knowing that it would be awhile before she could wash it again properly, and braided it. She then slipped on her leggings and undershirt, knowing that she would be comfortable enough to sleep and that it would help in the morning when she had to get dressed.
She checked her bag and weapons one last time, before finally laying back on her bed under the sheets and succumbed to the call for sleep.