Chapter 13 – What Now?

"No!" Frodo cried as Gandalf disappeared into the darkness, fighting heavily against Boromir's grasp. Boromir lifted the distraught Hobbit into his arms, screaming for the Aragorn before taking off towards the exit, following the rest of the fellowship. Lori had grabbed Gimli, who nearly tripped with the force his cousin pulled him with. Vili grabbed his sister and ran, grabbing onto Kiliel as he went. The ranger watched the darkness for a moment longer before turning and running up the stairs.

Frerin stood frozen, unable to move from the shock. It was only when an arrow grazed the side of his arm, tearing his tunic did he snap out of his trance, rushing to the stairs and tripping over his feet. He felt a pull on his shoulder as he glanced up at the Ranger who pulled him to his feet again, and together they left the forsaken darkness behind them.

They ran into daylight, rushing down the gray steps onto the natural gray rock of the mountains, but the sunlight did little to raise their weary and damaged spirits. As soon as they stopped running, they fell into their own states of grief. Sam sat down limply, sobbing as he rested his head in his hand.

Gimli was fighting with his cousin, trying to run back to the mines. Lori had both his arms wrapped around his cousin, tears streaming down his face as he fought to stay on his feet. Boromir stood nearby, watching the two. Merry lay by Pippin's side, as his cousin sobbed. Legolas kept his gaze to the ground, unable to grasp what he had just witnessed. Mili had managed to stay on her feet for a while, before finally collapsing and bursting into sobs. Kiliel rushed to her side and held her close, whispering an elvish prayer as she did.

Frerin sat down with his head in his hands, his breathing unsteady as his lip quivered. He had just witnessed the death of his parent's life-long friend. How would he tell them, once he got back? What would he tell Frigga? He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Vili's face. His cousin's eyes were misted over, and he was biting his lip, a habit he had learned to stop his lip from quivering. Frerin stood and leaned his forehead against his cousin's, the two of them sharing their grief for a lost friend.

Aragorn cleaned his sword with a cloth, before looking at the scene before him. He sighed before calling.

"Legolas, get them up." Legolas looked up and nodded slightly, reaching for Merry and Pippin. Boromir saw this and moved closer to the two.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" He exclaimed, as Lori finally calmed Gimli down enough for the two of them to turn to the conversation at hand.

"By nightfall, these hills will be swarming with Orcs." Aragorn called back, sheathing his sword. "We must reach the woods of Lothlórien." Boromir shook his head, but consented. "Come, Boromir. Legolas. Gimli, Lori. Get them up." Lori moved over to his cousins, kneeling by their side. Kiliel looked up at him and nodded, cupping Mili's face with her hand and Lori helped to lift her to her feet. Gimli moved over to Frerin and Vili, putting his hands on their shoulders. They both turned to him and nodded.

"Frodo? Frodo!" Aragorn called to the last Hobbit after helping Sam to his feet. Frerin turned his head to Frodo as he stood a bit away from the rest of the Fellowship. He broke away from his cousins and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Frodo turned to him, his eyes red as a tear spilled down his cheek. Frerin sighed and pulled him into a hug, the Hobbit barely having the chance to respond before they had to go.

Aragorn ran ahead of everyone, the only one that seemed to be motivated to get to Lothlórien, while the rest of the Fellowship only caught on once the woods were in sight. Once they entered the forest, they all felt a sense of relief...

…well, almost all.

"Stay close, young Hobbits!" Gimli said as he gestured for Frodo to come closer to him. "They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods." He whispered, holding his ax close to him, while watching the woods with suspicious eyes.

"An Elf-witch…of terrible power. All who look upon her…fall under her spell. And are never seen again." Lori rolled his eyes.

"Gimli, as much as I love Uncle Gloin's stories, he may have embellished this one." He said with a smile. Gimli paused and looked to his cousin.

"What do you mean, embellished? My adad told me this story a hundred times." Kiliel giggled.

"Well, for one, the Lady Galadriel of Lothlórien is not a witch or a sorceress, as you claim, cousin." She said gently. Lori nodded.

"Exactly. She is one of the greatest of the Eldar in Middle-Earth, and is said to surpass nearly all others in beauty, knowledge and power." Lori explained, looking to the Hobbits specifically, to reassure them. Lori chuckled. "It might also be imperative to know, that unlike Thranduil of Mirkwood, she and her husband, Lord Celeborn, did not take on any royal titles since they only see themselves as the Guardians of The Golden Wood." It was only as he said that, did he remember he was in the presence of said King of Mirkwood's son. He quickly turned to Legolas with a sheepish smile. "Uh…no offence, Legolas."

Legolas gave a slight smile. "None taken, Son of Ori. I have learnt that most of what the Lady Quinn of Erebor, and by extension her kin, have to say often holds truth." This caused the dwarven group to laugh, knowing that Lori's mother had had quite the interesting interaction with Legolas 70 years ago. This laughter caused almost everyone to miss Frodo's pause in steps, Sam quickly checking on his friend once he noticed the change.

Gimli scoffed. "Either way, here's one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and ears of a fox."

As the words left his mouth, an arrow was raised to his face, while two others were aimed at his neck. One by one, the company found themselves surrounded by arrows pointing at them. Legolas was quick to pull his own bow at the one aimed in front of him, but was caught off guard when another appeared behind him, aimed at his back. Aragorn wisely raised his hands in surrender.

"The Dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." A blonde haired Elf step forward, looking directly at Gimli as he said this. Gimli growled under his breath. Lori cringed while Frerin cleared his throat.

"Please forgive our cousin. He tends to run his mouth sometimes." Mili scoffed.

"More like often." The Elf turned his attention to the Dwarven group.

"Indeed." The Elf gave them each a once over, glancing at Gimli, then back at them with a raised eyebrow. He was clearly listing the differences in their appearance compared to the only full-blooded dwarf of the company, but was not prepared to bring it up as he turned and lead them down the path, the other elves…persuading them to follow.

By nightfall, the Elf, as they later learned was called Haldir of Lorien, had led them up to a platform in the trees. Most of the Company were a bit nervous to be so high up with no railing in sight, but the Dwarven Company found it wasn't quite so different from Erebor's halls. The only one that felt differently about this was Gimli, who grumbled about how unnatural it was for a Dwarf to be this high among tree branches.

"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion." Haldir said, holding his hand to his chest before extending it to Legolas in an elvish greeting. Legolas returned the gesture.

"Govannas vän gwennen le, Haldir o Lörien." Legolas responded. Haldir shifted his gaze down the line, passing over Boromir and the Dwarven group before landing on Aragorn.

"A, Aragorn in Dünedain… istannen le amen." He greeted, repeating the gesture again. Aragorn returned the gesture graciously. Frerin felt Gimli bristle behind him.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand!" He grumbled. Haldir turned his attention to them, looking directly at Gimli.

"We have not had dealings with the dwarves, since the dark days." He replied stiffly, clearly uncomfortable in the presence of a Dwarf.

"And do you know what this Dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!" Haldir recoiled slightly, but was surprised when at least four hands smacked the Dwarf simultaneously on the back of the head, causing him to yelp. His Elf ears picked up on the chuckles and suppressed giggles of his fellow Elves as the Dwarf rubbed his head, while another stepped forward, bowing his head low and holding a hand over his heart. Haldir recognized him as the one who spoke so knowledgably of the Lady Galadriel earlier.

"Please excuse my cousin." He said sincerely, before glancing back and glaring over his shoulder. "He's usually courteous." Haldir nodded, before glancing down at the man before him.

"I must say, it is odd to hear a Dwarf speak with such knowledge of the Lady of the Golden Wood. How came you by this knowledge?" The man blushed to the tips of his ears, and glanced down at the ground, his foot fidgeting.

"I…read a lot." He mumbled. One of his companions stepped forward.

"He's Lori, Son of Ori, one of the two Royal Scribes that serve King Thorin of Erebor directly. He is also training to be the next Keeper of the Library in Erebor." He stated boldly. Haldir turned to him.

"And…you are?" he asked. This one smirked, and opened his mouth to start speaking, but his companion, who seemed similar in appearance elbowed him in the gut before he could so much as utter a response.

"No one of great importance, I assure you." She said quickly. "We are just dwarves from Erebor." Haldir raised a brow. It was clear to him that these five were not full blooded Dwarrow. Their height and lack of beard in comparison to their Dwarven companion was proof of that. There was also the slight elvish look that came from the one woman. Haldir set that information aside and stepped towards the Halflings that were standing behind them, gazing directly at the one with the dark hair. He immediately felt the darkness of the Ring.

"You bring great evil with you." He paused, looks at the company, and turns away. "You can go no further!" The fellowship glanced at each other, before Aragorn followed Haldir and started to converse with him in quiet Elvish, pleading with him to help them. Everyone else sort of hovered while they waited. Vili turned his attention to his sister.

"Why didn't you let me say anything, namad?" he asked her. Mili rolled her eyes.

"Right, like our titles will mean anything to these guys." She turned to her brother with her arms crossed over her chest. "Think, Vili, they serve one of the most powerful people in Middle-Earth. Someone who, if you recall, almost single handedly cast the Necromancer out of Dol Guldur 70 years ago. Our father and Uncle's titles are miniscule in comparison to her." Frerin shrugged.

"She has a point Vili." Vili harrumphed and made to respond, when Haldir stepped towards them.

"You will follow me."

They walked until sunset the next day, Haldir and the other Elves leading them along. Frerin couldn't help but notice how Kiliel would tilt her head back each time a ray of sunlight spilt through the trees, a gentle smile on her face. He felt happy that his cousin was experiencing a freedom she didn't really have in Erebor. Admittedly, she and her mother often took trips down to Dale to get out in the sunlight, but it probably didn't compare to the forest of the Elves.

Haldir stopped at the edge of the woods, looking out over the horizon, smiling.

"Caras Galadhon." He smiled. Frerin looked ahead and saw an incredible sight, a grove of trees situated closely together, the leaves almost glowing gold in the sunset. "The heart of Elvendom on Earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn, and of Galadriel, Lady of Light."

It was only when they entered the grove of trees that the city truly left Frerin astounded. They were led along the stairs that twisted between the giant trees, leading up to several staircases that spiraled around the tree trunks ahead, with statues along the pathway. Looking up, Frerin was blown away by the utter beauty of this place. The flets were built into the branches of the trees, with lamps lighting up the way.

"Ok, Gimli may hate me later, but this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen." Vili whispered in his ear. Frerin chuckled, though he nodded in agreement. Erebor may be his home, and would always hold a place in his heart, but there was something truly amazing about the ethereal serenity of the elven realm.

As the sun began to set, they ascended up the stairs, Elves coming and watching them as they walked past. Frerin also noted how the lamps gave off a pure white light, almost like starlight. They were led up to the largest flet in which there was a circular platform, and stopped before an archway leading up to more stairs. They all gathered there, with Aragorn standing in front of them. Frerin glanced around at his companions when a light at the top of the stairs caught his eye. He glanced up and saw two figures walking down the stairs, one in a white tunic and a grey robe, the other, a pure white dress that shown even brighter than the lamps surrounding them. His hair was silver, while her long golden tresses shown in the light. Frerin's mouth dropped as he gazed at the Lord and Lady of Lothlörien.

The lady kept her gaze to the ground as the Lord addressed them.

"The enemy knows you have entered here." He states bluntly. "What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." Aragorn glances away at these words. Lord Celeborn glances at the members of the Fellowship. "Thirteen there are here, yet fourteen there were set out from Rivendell." Frerin immediately flinched and looked down towards the ground, missing as the Lady's eyes shifted to the Ranger. "Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar." There was silence for a moment as no one dared to answer.

"He has fallen into Shadow." Came the muted reply, and Frerin returned his gaze to the Lady Galadriel, as she kept her gaze on Aragorn and Legolas.

"He was taken by both Shadow and flame. A Balrog of Morgoth." Legolas explained, but Frerin was shocked when he added. "For we went needlessly into the net of Moria." Frerin saw how Gimli's head dropped, and he stepped forward.

"We had no choice, Legolas!" The audience immediately turned their heads to him, in shock. He realized he was being extremely rude, but he couldn't stop himself. "Saruman forced our hand on the Pass of Caradhras! We either continued on that perilous path, or risk the passage through the mines, there was no other choice!" He hissed. He went to say more when a voice stilled him.

'Be at peace, Son of Thorin, for none here blame your kin for the loss of Gandalf.' He froze, glancing at Lady Galadriel, whose gaze remained serene. His brow furrows, as she hasn't seemed to have spoken at all. Frerin finally registers an arm on his shoulder, and allows Mili to pull him back. Gimli came and placed a hand on his shoulder, but kept his head bowed.

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life." Said Lady Galadriel. "We do not yet know his full purpose." She shifted her gaze to Gimli. "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart, Gimli, Son of Gloin." Gimli lifted his head as she addressed him. "For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands love is now mingled with grief."

At this point, she turned her head towards Boromir, who lifted his head to meet her gaze with a sharp intake of breath. He held her gaze for only a few seconds when he let out what sounded like a pained sob, and tore his gaze away. Kiliel was immediately at his side, placing a hand on his arm. He looked at her with a soft look, before he looked down to the ground again.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope it lost." Lord Celebron said. Everyone glanced around, not really sure what to say.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife." Lady Galadriel proclaimed. "Stray but a little and it will fail…" she paused. "…to the ruin of all." Her lips turned upwards into a slight smile. "Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest… for you are weary with sorrow and much toil." Frerin noticed how with her next sentence, her gaze shifted to Frodo for the first time that evening.

"Tonight, you will sleep in peace."

Translations

Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion - Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil

Govannas vän gwennen le, Haldir o Lörien - Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lörien

A, Aragorn in Dünedain… istannen le amen - Oh, Aragorn of the Dünedain, you are known to us

Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul - I spit upon your grave

Namad - Sister

And again…..long wait for an update. Upside, uni results came out and I passed with a few flying colours, so, pressure is off and I can get back to writing.

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