Sorry for the long wait :( Life's life, what can I say?
Sooo, I never thought this would ever happened, but here am I: I got a virtual date for Valentine's. Weird, I know. :) All reviews have been answered privately. the7horcrux: Thank you!
Takes off directly after the last chap. Enjoy :)
. . .Chapter 21- Sorrow. . .
.~.
"Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed."
― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
.~.
Alysae looped her arm through her brother's, and tugged him down with her so that they both sat on the mossy ground. She tucked her dress over her ankles.
"Oh Legolas," she said, turning towards him with a smile, "you better tell me everything that has happened to you. I did not know you would go through the Golden Woods. If I had, perhaps I could have gone with you?"
Legolas looked startled, shaking his head. "Nay, I thank everyday Eru that you did not accompany us."
"Why is that?" asked Alysae, frowning. "What happened Legolas?"
"I shall tell you all of it," said Legolas, sitting down, "but first, it would ease my heart to know how you fared."
Alysae looked at him thoughtfully for a few long seconds. "Oh, everything's been absolutely grand," she finally said, with less enthusiam than she wanted. "The twins left the day after I arrived. The ellith and ellyn are nice here, well except for Haldir," she added, scrunching her nose.
"Haldir the Marchwarden?"
"The one and only. He has absolutely no manners, and is terribly arrogant!" She glanced up, her lips pursed.
"He did not seem that way to me."
"That's because you're," she paused, "well, you're you."
Legolas chuckled. Then his expression sobered and he turned serious. "What about, what about...?" he asked in a low voice. Alysae looked down, not answering. She had known he would ask that question; and she had dreaded it. "Alysae?" he asked, eyebrows drawn together in concern.
She kept her eyes on her joined hands for a few, long seconds, wondering how to say it, which words to choose. "The lady said there was nothing she could do," she finally murmured.
Legolas sucked in a breath. He felt as though he had been punched in the gut, all air expulsed from his lungs. "Are you... are you sure?" he could barely manage to get through. He searched her face frantically, but her usually merry eyes were dull and sad.
"She saw it in the mirror, Legolas," said Alysae. Her brother's face fell, his skin pale. "But I'm sure Mithrandir could do something!" she added cheerfully, to wipe that horrible look from his face. "He's one of the most powerful wizard to walk on Arda." When he didn't answer, she grew worried. "Legolas? Where is Mithrandir?" She had began to fear the worse, a terrible sensation of dread seemed to seep into her stomach, turning her fingers into clammy lead.
He looked up, his jaw tight. "I'm sorry, Alysae," he told her lowly. "Mithrandir fell."
"No," she breathed. "No. It's not possible. You're pulling my leg, aren't you? Mithrandir cannot die, he's a wizard!"
The Fellowship had turned towards them at the sound of her rising voice, and they gave her sad, pitying glances. In the distance, voices had began a lament, as if to torment her into realising the truth.
A Olórin i yáresse
Mentaner i Númenherui
Tírien i Rómenóri
Maiaron i Oiosaila
Manan elye etevanne
Nórie i melanelye?
Mithrandir, Mithrandir, A Randir Vithren
ú-reniathach i amar galen
I reniad lín ne mór, nuithannen
In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen
I lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen
Caled veleg, ethuiannen.
She heard it clearly, softly; like withering leaves their voices fluttered down from above. She did not want to believe it. She could not.
"What does it say?" asked Sam, his face down.
"I cannot tell you," murmured Legolas, closing his eyes. "For me the grief is still too near."
But Alysae, her throat closing up, feeling tears in her eyes, felt as though she owed it to Mithrandir. She stood up slowly, and sang lowly,
"Olórin, who once was...
Sent by the Lords of the West
To guard the lands of the East
Wisest of all Maiar
What drove you to leave
That which you loved?
Mithrandir, Mithrandir O Pilgrim Grey
No more will you wander the green fields of this earth
Your journey has ended in darkness.
The bonds cut, the spirit broken
The Flame of Anor has left this World
A great light, extinguished."
Her voice faded into nothingness. She looked up at the Fellowship, whose pain-etched faces and tearful eyes regarded her, and she could not stay.
She left them, her feet hurrying.
-xxx-
The next morning dawned bright and fair, as though to erase the sorrow from their hearts and souls. Alysae thought it was cruel. How could the world go on as if nothing had happened, when everything had gone wrong?
Her footsteps brought her down the long winding stairs, and to the mossy floor, to the glade where the Fellowship was resting.
She stayed silent at the entrance, watching them. Gimli was still asleep, snoring loudly for all to hear. Across from him, Boromir sat against the base of a mallorn tree; Merry and Pippin were digging through their packs, Sam watching them from the side while Frodo seemed lost in his thoughts; Legolas was nowhere to be seen; and Aragorn had his back to her, but to the set of his shoulders, Alysae knew that he'd heard her.
"Mae govannen," she called out to them, stepping forward.
The Fellowship turned towards her (safe for Gimli who was still asleep, and Legolas who was Elbereth knows where), giving her small smiles.
"That means 'well met' in Elvish, doesn't it?" asked Sam.
She smiled. "It does, dear Sam. You've been brushing up your Sindarin, haven't you?"
"Oh, just a little," he mumbled, looking down.
Alysae sat down, looking at each of them carefully. There faces were haggard and weary, and their eyes much changed, a little filled with sorrow, a little hardened.
"Tell me what happened," she said firmly.
"It is not a tale of joy," said Boromir, his brow furrowed; "but of one of sorrow and much hardship. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
Alysae glanced at his weary face, his sunken eyes and the scruffy, haggard beard that ate at his cheeks. "I very much do," she said. "I am not some impressionable damsel, and I'd rather know the truth than wander in the unknown."
"Very well," he sighed.
He began his tale in a low voice, the hobbits gathering round grimly, sometimes interjecting when they thought he'd forgotten something. Frodo sat still and silent, his eyes seemingly lost in some terrible dream. Aragorn had closed his eyes and simply listened with his head resting against the trunk of a tree.
The Fellowship had travelled a long way, over rocks and hills, walking on plains and climbing slopes. Sometimes it had rained and they'd nearly drowned, sometimes there had been a chilly wind that whispered nasty lies, and others an unsettling silence. For days and days there had not been a soul in sight.
The Misty Moutains had not been kind to them. It had snowed, and the wind had been harsh and biting, whipping and lashing out at their unprotected faces. They had been forced to retreat.
And that was when they decided to set out for the mines of Moria. At that, Alysae let out a horrified gasp, her eyes flying to Aragorn. But he did not move, nor did he look in her direction, and Alysae was forced to continue to listen and supress her burning questions.
They'd passed over the ruins of Hollin where Elves had once walked long, long ago, and the stone still called out their names. They'd been attacked by a pack of wargs, Boromir grimly recalled. Alysae let out a soft gasp. Thankfully, with the help of Gandalf, the Fellowship defended themselves and fought against the wargs.
And thus began a deadly chase. They realised they were being hunted.
The Fellowship had reached the mighty wall that was the gate of Moria, where moonlight only could reveal the door. They had spent some time trying to figure out a way to get in and solve the riddle.
"Speak friend and enter," added Merry, "that was the riddle. And Gandalf tried every spell he knew but the door would not budge!"
Alysae frowned. "But it seems simple to me. 'Speak friend and enter', you had to say the word 'friend' and the door would open."
Pippin let out a laugh. "We should have brought you with us Alysae, even Mithrandir could not guess it so easily!"
"But hasn't Legolas told you the answer?" she asked. All of them shook their heads. "It is simply the type of things we were taught about when we were young! I wonder why he did not help..." It was very unlike Legolas to not answer a riddle, and one has simple as that! Perhaps he had been too preoccupied, she thought. She shook her head, mentioning for them to continue their tale.
"And that is when we were attacked by a terrible creature!" Pippin said, trembling. "It came from the dirty waters, each of its limb like a long arm. It grabbed Frodo!"
Alysae paled.
"But we managed to fight it off, worry not," added Boromir quickly.
"Except that in it's rage, the creature shattered the wall and sealed the way behind us, trapping us into the darkness of Moria!" broke in Pippin in a cry.
"You were trapped in Moria?" breathed Alysae.
Pippin nodded frantically. "The most awful, terrible, horrible, foul-smelling, dark, damp-"
Boromir elbowed him roughly and placed his hand over Pippin's mouth. He glanced towards Alysae, whose face had paled drastically. "Let me finish, will you?" he hissed at Pippin. "There's no need to make everything worse than it is."
Pippin nodded, his eyes darting towards Alysae. Boromir released him. "Sorry," said Pippin sheepishly.
"It's fine," she said with a forced laugh. "What happened next?"
"Well..."
After that disastrous attack, the Fellowship had only one choice: they were forced to move forward. With only the light from Gandalf's staff, they continued on.
At that point in the story, Legolas had returned soundlessly and was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed. Alysae smiled at him but he looked away. She frowned.
The Mines had been deserted, empty, devoid of all life. It had seemed to carry on for ages and ages, never ending. Until they'd reached a chamber, where skeletons of dwarves had lain on the floor.
Orcs had come and swarmed the chamber, and the Fellowship had truly believed they would die underground, with no sunlight. Alysae could not imagine what it must have felt like. She knew though, that Legolas was terribly afraid of enclosed spaces, and had trouble staying in one for long. A surge of pride and worry went through her because he'd done it. He'd stayed underground for many days, and, knowing her brother, he was too prideful to admit it to anyone. Except possibly for Aragorn.
The Fellowship had managed to fight them off, and were running away, out of Moria, when the grounds had trembled and shook, and terrible growls had echoed in the air.
"Shadow and flame," said Legolas softly, speaking for the first time. He was still not looking at her. "A demon of the ancient world. A Balrog of Morgoth."
Alysae gasped, her eyes wide with both terror and horror. "It's not... A Balrog?" she breathed, shaking. Balrogs were the most vile, dangerous creatures she could think of. They were only mentioned in horrible, sad tales, like the Fall of Gondolin. She knew that Balrogs were very nearly impossible to kill, and the only one who had ever managed such a feat was Glorfindel himself. And it had resulted in his death.
Was that, was that how Gandalf died? Staring into the grief-stricken faces of the Fellowship in front of her, Alysae knew the answer to that.
"And so Gandalf fell," continued Boromir in a low voice. "In his fierce battle against the demon, he was taken down, and both fell. His last words were 'fly, you fools!'"
Alysae wiped a tear from her cheek. "Trust Mithrandir to go down insulting someone," she joked weakly.
"And so we ran to the Golden Woods," finished Merry sadly.
There was a long silence where Alysae simply sat and stared at her hands.
Finally she looked up. "I can't imagine," she began, "how brave you all have been. You all truly deserve to be part of this Fellowship."
She stood up, feeling her legs finally stretch. "I must go now though. Laereth will wonder why I've not seen her at all today."
"Oh, it was wonderful to see you, la-Alysae!" said Sam.
"The pleasure was all mine," she smiled. She made her way to where she had come from, and stopped when her gaze landed on Frodo.
"Are you alright?" she asked him, crouching down. He glanced up, his eyes troubled, but his face turned up into a small smile at the sight of her.
"I'm fine," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
Alysae felt a wave of sympathy and pity towards the hobbit. "Everything is going to be alright," she said.
He seemed surprised.
"Everything will be alright," she repeated, like a promise.
He nodded, suddenly inspired. "Thank you Alysae." She smiled and brought her arms around him for a quick embrace.
His shirt had been slightly open at the collar, and she'd just caught a glint of gold before her bare arm felt something cool and hard. A terrible, burning pain snaked from her arm to the rest of her body. An eye wreathed in flames flashed across her mind like a stabbing knife.
She let out a strangled gasp and jerked backwards.
White-hot pain burned her veins, an agony that ravaged every inch of her skin, and she screamed. She could not hear her voice, all she heard was laughter, a deep growling, hissing voice in her mind, and a faint voice crying, Alysae! Alysae!
-xxx-
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