Chapter 10: In Which Luna Tells Her Tale

Luna laughed heartily for the first time in over a year, wiping the tears from her eyes, gesturing for Bilbo to continue his story.

"Of course," the Halfling said after a weeze of air, catching his own breath after laughter. "In hindsight, the tale is more humorous than terrifying. You wouldn't have thought three buffoonish trolls were all that funny if you had been there, even if they did simply turn to stone at the rise of the next sun."

"And all of this to prove you were a good thief?"

"I had never stolen anything in my life, you see. And they seemed the ugliest and densest creatures I had ever encountered. I say this having spent the previous entirety of my travels in the company of Dwarves."

Luna laughed again. "You must have many other wonderful tales."

"Indeed, I do, but I mustn't share them all just yet. The night will soon grow to dawn. I can see the orange hues peeking through the treeline," he said pointing. "Better still, I mustn't share any more until you grace me with a tale of your own, Miss Luna."

"I am no great adventurer who bandies with dwarves and trolls."

"No, you are not. You are a great adventurer who bandies with a Gondorian Captain across multiple borders."

"It sounds much grander when you phrase it like that."

"Indeed," a new voice said, causing Luna to jump and rise from her seat. Bilbo rose as well, though he seemed not the least bit surprised. At the entrance to the hall, the tall figure of an Elf stood, taller than the twin elves who had welcomed her into Rivendell, though he bore a resemblance to them with the same brown hair split in the center of his perfectly symmetrical head. His features all pointed in the same manner as the twins and his eyes were the same shade of light grey, like sunlight trying to peek through thick storm clouds.

"Ah, Lord Elrond," Bilbo said, with a small bow of his head. "What brings you to the Hall of Fire on this beautiful fall morning?"

"I heard the bells of laughter boasting from the Hall."

"I'm sorry if I was too loud, my lord," Luna said, grasping at the neck of her robe as she bent over in a bow. "Master Baggins was entertaining me with a riveting tale."

Elrond shook his head. "There is no need for apologies, Luna, Daughter of Callum. The Hall of Fire is open to all at any time, especially if they come with songs and stories."

"I fear I came merely as a listener," she said.

"Perhaps you would accompany me on a walk," Elrond suggested, gesturing out to the cobblestones paths, growing lighter by the rise of the sun. "And be a listener no longer."

Luna nodded, knowing she really didn't have a choice in the matter. She turned to Bilbo before departing. "I am happy to have met you, Bilbo Baggins."

"You haven't seen the last of me, I'm sure, Miss Luna."

She smiled and followed Elrond's gesture out the door. "Oh," he tisked, looking her up and down for the first time. "Perhaps we may stop by your room first. I did not notice your attire."

"I have nothing clean to wear, I'm afraid. All of my clothes are spoiled from the road."

He nodded, understandingly and raised his hand towards an Elf in the distance. "I will see that your clothes are laundered. Perhaps some new threads to accompany them as well."

"My lord, that is very kind."

"You have arrived much earlier than I had anticipated. I have doubts the attire you arrived with may not be suitable for everyday wear."

"You knew Boromir and I were coming to Rivendell?" Luna asked, remembering that Elladan had implied something similar.

Elrond laced his fingers together and set them against his front. "I knew Lord Boromir would be coming. My gift of foresight had granted me with the knowledge that he and many more were to come to my halls, seeking answers and guidance on various oddities all across Middle-earth."

"You knew Lord Boromir would come...but not me?"

"Alas, a maiden from Dol Amroth appearing at my doorstep was indeed unexpected." He stopped walking and reached out to examine a bush at the edge of the path.

"Your chokeberry has begun blossoming a bit early," she noted.

"Yes, I see that. A plant lover, I assume?"

"I would say I appreciate plants more than I love them, my lord. The moniker of plant lover would go to my mother before it would go to me."

"Yes," he said, returning to their leisurely stroll. "Elladan told me of your father, Dol Amroth's Horsemaster. Who be your mother?"

"Melyanna. She is the former mistress of Dol Amroth's Healing House."

"The former?"

"Her talents have been demanded in Minas Tirith since the war broke out."

"And you with her, I gather?" Luna nodded, earning a long sigh from Elrond. "War makes harsh demands of us all when it reaches our thresholds."

"There seems to be no war here."

"I pray there never will be, child."

Luna looked down at her bare feet. The violet paint she had brought with her had not survived the torrential downpour of five straight days of thunderstorms. All that remained was a stubborn bit on her left pinky toe. She wondered if there was any paint to find here that she would be welcomed to. Elrond took one last look at the chokeberry bushes and resumed his stroll down the paths. "What brought you here, child? Why take up a months-long journey with Boromir, Son of Denathor?

"I had very little say in the matter. Lord Denathor demanded it of me at the suggestion of Captain Faramir."

"Lord Boromir's brother?"

"Yes, my lord. Faramir is Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien. He taught me how to survive in the wilderness as well as the skills of archery."

"Curious. Why would a war-addled Captain of Gondor spend his time teaching these skills to you?"

Luna did not like the Elf Lord's tone. It was the same tone she heard from the mouths of her fellow healers in Minas Tirith. "I beg your pardon, my lord, but perhaps you meant 'why does a Captain of Gondor waste his time with a servant like you?'"

Lord Elrond's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I do not believe-"

"My whole life-as far back as I can clearly remember-I have had to answer that question, my lord. 'Why does Princess Lothiriel want to play with you?' 'Why does Prince Amrothos ask you to go riding with him?' 'Why does Prince Imrahil insist on your lemon tea when he catches a sore throat?' And now, you ask me, 'why does Captain Faramir waste his time with the likes of me?' 'Why did Lord Denathor choose me to accompany Captain Boromir across half of Middle-earth?' And to answer your question, Lord Elrond, I do not know. I do not know why. The amount of questions I do not have the answers to in my life would astound you. And before you ask it of me, no. I do not know why you, who seems to possess some kind of magical Elf ability to see the future, would not be able to see that I had accompanied Lord Boromir on his quest."

She stopped to catch her breath, but also to berate herself internally. Where had that come from? A pleasant walk turned from a calm morning into a defense against her host. A host she had only just met and had shown her nothing but kindness. She spotted a bench a short distance away and briskly walked to it, sinking into the smooth stone surface. "Forgive me," she whispered as the Elf Lord followed her after a few seconds. "I know not where that came from."

"How long have you kept all of that inside you?" he asked, his tall form towering over her.

She wiped a tear from her eye and stared at the hem of his long cloak. "I rarely speak of those feelings, if I am being honest."

"To keep everything inside you is not only a burden upon yourself, but a burden to those who need to hear it."

"No one wants to hear it."

"No one?"

Eomer, she thought. Eomer was the only one who ever wanted to listen. And though she had not spoken to him in so very long, the thoughts of him still caring for her had never ceased to twitch in the back of her mind since she and Boromir had reached the borders of the Riddermark.

Luna stood and cleared her throat. "Again, please forgive me, Lord Elrond. When I woke, I felt well-rested, but it seems I am not as well as I thought."

"Tis a hard task, to ready one's mind for questions after months of weary travel and even more time spent at war," he said, with a small tilt of his head. "I do not find you a threat to my city, Luna of GondorI can assure you. However, your future is veiled to me. And for that reason, we must proceed your stay here with caution."

"What does that mean?"

"Whether you are ready for it or not, you are here in my city, living amongst my people in my Homely House. And I cannot fully welcome you until I am satisfied with some explanation to my queries."

Luna nodded slowly. "I understand, my lord. I would not wish to impose upon your great house without your satisfaction."

"Spoken as a woman who has had to answer questions of this sort before."

"My whole life…well, no. Not my whole life. Since my fifth year of age, I have been trying to answer these questions."

"Since the age of five?"

Luna sighed and launched into the tale of her past. She hadn't recounted it in so long. Most everyone in Dol Amroth knew of it, but Imrahil had insisted she keep it a secret in Minas Tirith. Luna worried as she spoke her tale aloud that it would do little more than baffle the Elf Lord further, but throughout, he never interrupted her. He never changed expression. He simply let her speak of Callum finding her at sea. Of Melyanna insisting that Luna was to be her daughter. Of her close friendship with the royal family of Dol Amroth. Elrond waited until she was done before speaking again.

"Who else knows of this tale outside of Belfalas?"

"Imrahil Prince was insistent that I keep the tale to myself outside of our kingdom. I overheard the palace's librarian once in my childhood telling my mother that no one would understand. That the truth could be dangerous for me outside of Imrahil Prince's protection."

"Your librarian is a wise man. I am the only one you have truly ever recounted this to outside of Dol Amroth's walls?"

"...No," Luna answered.

"Who else knows?"

"A friend. But he has told no one, he promised he would keep my secret."

"Promises can be broken, even if one does not intend to break them. Who is this friend?"

Luna sighed. Here it was. Yet another explanation of her past she did not wish to share. But she could not lie to the Elf Lord. She knew in her heart that he would be able to tell. "His name is Eomer, Son of Eomund."

"That is a Rohirric name, not one of Gondor."

"Correct, my lord."

The Elf sat on the bench beside them, his posture pristine. "It would seem," he muttered. "That my foresight does not extend beyond Middle-earth."

"I know not why I was brought here, Lord Elrond, but please know that I would never cause harm to this world that is now my true home."

"I know, young one. You are not a danger. You are but a lost soul traveling through the vast roads of this land."

Luna shook her head. "No, my lord."

"No?"

"I am not a lost soul. I know where I am meant to be. A traveler, yes. But not lost. I have always had a home, from the moment I arrived here. My life before the rescue at sea is but mere burry memories."

Elrond chuckled softly. "Stout of heart you are, Luna, Daughter of Callum. Not a traveler, you are right. You are a navigator. Much in the same, but in the end, you know where your destination lies."

"My destination, perhaps. My destiny however, that has always been a mystery to me. For I thought my future a simple one. Taking my mother's trade when she became to old to manage. Riding my father's horses in spare time. Yet, I have been told on more than one occasion that I am not meant for simple life, but for great adventure."

"Destiny is a fickle thing. It would seem you in particular cannot escape it. A great navigator of Middle-earth you have become in such a short time. But I have found it does very little to dwell on destiny. Better to dwell on desire. What you want with your life, rather than what life wants for you."

"In other words…follow my heart?"

Elrond smiled at that. "Yes. A lovely sentiment. And with that, I believe I will leave you to your day. Do you need assistance finding your way back to your room?"

"No, my lord. I remember."

He nodded. "And I have seen to it that your clothes are taken care of. Rest well, Luna of Gondor."

He proceeded to walk away, back towards the large building in the center of the kingdom. With a sigh, Luna made her way back up the cobblestones and towards her lodgings.

When she reached her room, she found the door ajar. A female Elf was inside, collecting her clothes that sat on the floor beside the tub.

"Hello," Luna said, alerting the Elf to her presence.

"Good day, Miss Luna," the Elf said softly, placing Luna's clothes in a basket. "Lord Elrond sent word for your clothes to be collected and laundered. Would this be all of them?" Luna shook her head and went over to her saddlebags, pulling out the rest of her smelly garments. "Thank you, miss. These should be laundered and dry by tomorrow afternoon. I have also placed some clothes in the wardrobe for you to wear in the meantime."

"It is very kind of Lord Elrond to offer me these gifts."

She bowed her head slightly. "Is there anything else you desire, miss? Lord Elrond would have you want for nothing while you are here."

"When are mealtimes? I hate to be a burden and have food delivered to me. I wish to fetch it myself"

"Are you hungry now, miss? It is a bit late to break your fast, but they will have started on midday meal. The kitchens are below Lord Elrond's house. If you follow the walkways, you shouldn't get lost."

"And Lord Boromir?" Luna asked. "Where is his room?"

"Across the south lawn." She pointed again and Luna made note of the building, thanking the Elf who hurried along with Luna's laundry.

Inside the wardrobe, Luna found two simple dresses along with a fresh chemise and a pair of stockings. She dawned them at once and, with a sigh, trekked out into the Elven city once more, exploration high on her mind.