Chapter 2 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day, when Gilthoniel went to her classes with Galadriel, she noticed her teacher was very nervous and seemed ill at ease. Galadriel always made Gilthoniel feel nervous, though she didn't know why.

`Now, my child,' Galadriel began, making Gilthoniel want to scream. Every lesson it's always “Now, my child” or “My dear girl” and Gilthoniel was sick of it. I'm 16! Gilthoniel felt like shouting at her. But she stayed silent. `Today we will be looking into the Mirror of Galadriel.'

Galadriel lead her over to the mirror and poured in the water. It's more like an enormous birdbath, thought Gilthoniel.

`Look into the mirror, my child,' Galadriel said and Gilthoniel, resisting the will to yell at her to shut up and to stuff her stupid lesson, looked into the mirror.

`This mirror shows things that were, things that are and things that yet may be. Now can you see anything?'

Gilthoniel felt herself go dizzy as she watched the water. They turned dark and was startled to see herself, not much older than she was then. She tried to look away but found it impossible. So she focused on the water and watched the image of herself.

She running through a forest, clutching her bow, as if desperate to get somewhere in time. She was wearing a pure white dress and had a bag on her shoulder. She ran, and ran, and ran, until she came to a stream. She saw herself run over a bridge across the stream, and into a small hut where a young elf lay. Several arrows had been fired into his chest, and his breathing was slow and painful. An elf woman sat at his bedside and turned when Gilthoniel walked in.

`What happened, Fëanor?'

`We were attacked by orcs. They came out of nowhere. Findiel had got out to get some wood and they shot him.'

`Are they still out there?'

`Yes, Rumil and Halibrien are holding them off, but I don't know how much longer their arrows will hold out.'

`Have you done anything to stop the bleeding?'

`No, we haven't. There was nothing to wrap them with. We brought him in here and put blankets on him and done everything possible to keep him warm, but he is falling in and out of consciousness every second,' Fëanor said.

`Fëanor,' Gilthoniel put her hand on the woman's shoulder. `I will make sure he gets better.'

`I don't think there's much chance of him getting better, Gilthoniel, unless you use your forbidden magic.' Fëanor replied. Gilthoniel looked at her questionably and Fëanor blushed. `He told me about Gandalf's blessing.'

Gilthoniel kneeled next to Findiel and began unpacking her things. She turned around and saw Fëanor standing looking anxiously at her husband. `It's alright, I will help him, but maybe you should wait outside.'

Fëanor nodded and turned to go, then looked back around at Gilthoniel. `He kept calling for you. I'm a healer, and my husband called for you to help him, I don't understand.'

`It's because of the forbidden magic. Gandalf said I wasn't to use it, except in great need. I think his need is great, don't you?'

`Yes.'

`Well then, can you please wait outside. I cannot do the magic with you there.' Gilthoniel said impatiently.

Fëanor turned on her heel and went outside. Gilthoniel unpacked what was left in her bag when Findiel spoke.

`Gilthoniel,' he said. `Gilthoniel.'

`I'm here now,' she brushed his hair out of his dark blue eyes. `I'll look after you.'

`Gilthoniel,' Findiel choked. `I love you.'

`Findiel, be quiet!' Gilthoniel whirled around and was relieved to see that Fëanor wasn't there. `You're married, and soon I will marry Galdor. We promised ourselves we would not fall in love with each other. Fëanor is my friend, I can't hurt her like that, and besides, I love Galdor.'

`Do you, Gilthoniel? Do you really love him? Because I don't think you do.' He said.

`Yes, I do, and there's nothing for you to make you worry and start confessing things.' Gilthoniel poured some pink liquid into a goblet of water. `Drink this, it'll lessen the pain.'

He drank and braced himself for it a bitter taste, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was quite sweet.

Gilthoniel began taking the arrows out of Findiel's body, crying inside as more blood seeped out, covered the wounds with some lavender coloured liquid and then wrapped him tightly with some make-shift bandages, made from ripped up white sheets.

`It doesn't hurt now,' Findiel said quietly.

`I put some potion on it to eliminate the pain,' Gilthoniel said, stroking his cheek.

`I feel cold.'

`I'll get you some blankets.'

`I don't mean like that.'

Gilthoniel started to worry and began pouring more potion out for him.

`It's too late for that now.' Findiel said. `Gilthoniel.' He took her hand in both of his (spilling the potion whilst doing so) and kissed it. `I love you.'

Gilthoniel's eyes turn light hazel and filled with tears, and she stopped refusing and started kissing him. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. Then his arms went limp and his eyes rolled back into his head.

Gilthoniel rested her head on Findiel's breathless chest and closed her eyes and wept, not caring that his blood was soaking her hair and face. Eventually, she stood and walked out of the hut, Findiel's blood dripping from her hair onto her white dress and smeared across her face.

Fëanor looked up and gasped.

`I couldn't save him!' Gilthoniel let herself fall down onto the grassy riverbank. `I wasn't strong enough to save him!'

She broke down into sobs and Fëanor came and put her arm around her.

`I wish I could have told him how much I loved him,' Fëanor said, silent tears pouring down her face.

Gilthoniel sat up and stared at her. This stupid woman. She was there when he died; she didn't know what his last words had been.

Fëanor looked into her eyes and saw that they were now dark hazel with rage and sorrow. Small sparks of lighting flew of her clothes and Fëanor etched away from her.

`So do I,' Gilthoniel whispered.

Gilthoniel picked up her bow and walked in the direction Rumil and Halibrien were firing their arrows. She fired an arrow, replaced it by another one, and fired again, and again, and again. She didn't care where they went; she just shot them at whatever moved.

Then it came, whizzing through the air, an orc had fired an arrow and it plunged into her chest. She took a couple of steps backwards, and then fell.



Gilthoniel jumped and splashed the water, shattering the vision. She fell backwards, just like she'd down in her vision, panting heavily.

She'd just seen her own death. Gilthoniel gasped. Galadriel had should her that vision, knowing that in it she was going to die, and she showed it to her?

`Why did you show that to me?' she demanded. `You knew that I would die in that vision, and you should it to me?'

`Gilthoniel, try to understand-'

`How can I understand, I will have that hanging over me for the rest of my life.'

`If you wish to forget, it can be so.'

Gilthoniel tried to steady her breathing, but she was too angry. `What do you think?'

`You shall forget then, but Gilthoniel, if one knows the way one is going to die, they can change what will happen, if you just-'

`Shut up, don't talk to me. Don't say anything!'

Gilthoniel ran back to her chambers in the city and leaned against the door. She ran to her cupboard, threw on her cloak and grabbed her bow and arrows.

Elendil, the she-wolf, was lying on her bed, watching her with interest. `Come, Elendil,' she called, and the she-wolf leaped off her bed and together they ran out of the city and into the forest.

Gilthoniel's ears were pounding, and her breath was catching in her throat as she ran through the snow. She knew she should stop, but she couldn't. She just kept running.

Soon she came to the same clearing she had found Elendil in, and she rested therein the snow, her arm wrapped around the she-wolf. She sat there for a while, but then began to feel uneasy. Soon she heard voices, and hid behind a rather large bush.

Into the clearing came eight people. Two men, on of which was Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, Boromir, son of the Steward of Gondor, and the next Steward in the line. Next came an elf, Legolas of the woodland realm, then a dwarf, Gimli, son of Gloin. Then there were four hobbits, but she didn't know which was which.

It was clear to her that these men were in some sort of trouble, and was about to step out of her hiding place when elves appeared from behind every tree, their arrows pointing at the strangers.

`The dwarf breathes so loudly we could have shot him in the dark!'

Oh no! It was Haldir and his cronies. She would be in big trouble if they caught her.

Elendil began to whimper, and Gilthoniel tried to shut her up so she could hear what was being said, but already Haldir had heard it. The next thing Gilthoniel knew was her brother had grabbed her arm and was dragging her from behind the bushes.

`Gilthoniel, what do you think you are doing here?'

`Let me go, Haldir, let me go!'

Then she heard a shout and saw that Elendil had bitten Haldir's arm and was sinking her teeth into it.

Gilthoniel twisted free and began to flee, but she ran headlong into Rumil and Orophin. She looked pleadingly up at them, but they shook their heads.

`It'll be less painful if you stay here to reap what you sow, than if you run away and have to face him later on.' Rumil whispered in her ear and began to lead her back to where Haldir was standing, his face red and his hand bleeding and staining the snow scarlet.

`Gilthoniel,' Haldir said dangerously quietly. `Please tell me what you're doing here again?'

`Erm, walking my wolf,' Gilthoniel said, bracing herself to be hit. Behind her, Aragorn chuckled.

`Haldir,' he said in elfish. `Leave her alone. She is young and clearly upset.' Then he turned to Gilthoniel. `Come here.'

Gilthoniel ran to him and hugged him. `Hello Elessar!' Gilthoniel whispered in elvish.

`Hello Gilthoniel, you have changed since I last saw you. Look at you, all grown up. When I last saw you, you were really little and were desperate to come and be a ranger with me.' Aragorn smiled at her.

`Am I allowed to come and be a ranger. It'll be better than staying here with Haldir in a mood.' At this, everyone smirked, except Haldir, whose face, if possible, turned even purpler.

`Not this time,' Aragorn said. `Maybe next time.'

`That's what you said last time. Promise me you'll take me next time!'

Aragorn laughed. `I'd rather not make promises at all than make promises I can't necessarily keep.' He studied her face. `Is something troubling you, Gilthoniel?'

Gilthoniel looked round at all the people standing around. `I'll tell you later.' She whispered in elvish.

As her brothers lead her away, Gilthoniel turned around and smiled at Aragorn. Ever since she'd been little, his visits were rare but enjoyable treats. He had become (yet another) brother to her and she'd always enjoyed his company.

As she was being dragged away, Legolas' eyes and hers meet for a split second. Then he began to talk to Aragorn about something. Gilthoniel had never really spoken to Legolas, for he was Tinuviel's brother and, anyway, he was several thousand years older than her, literally.

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