Chapter 5 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5



Gilthoniel mounted her horse; a bay mare called Arvedui and Findiel mounted his horse, a gray stallion called Windfola. Together they slowly rode away from the city. Gilthoniel looked back and blew a kiss towards her home, as she always did when she went away. Then she turned around and rode off into the night.

Gilthoniel said a prayer as they sped towards Rivendell. It went something like this:

`Oh Elbereth, hear what I say. I know that maybe it was my fault, but I do truly love Haldir, so please bring him, Rumil and Orophin safely home. Please? And let Aragorn be close to the end of his journey. I hope that he and Legolas are still alive. Give them a safe journey home, please.'

She stopped and thought for a moment, then added `And please, when Legolas comes back, please can he not still love me. Thank you.'

Gilthoniel weary forced herself to stay awake as they galloped across middle earth. Everyday they stopped to eat and get some sleep, but they never rested long as Gilthoniel wanted to get to Rivendell quickly to see her friends. Also it was not as it used to be. Orcs hid in the shadows, always watching, ready to pounce. It was not safe to sleep at the same time, so Gilthoniel would sleep as Findiel watched. He never seemed keen to rest his head, though Gilthoniel forced him sometimes otherwise he would keel over.

When they eventually reached Rivendell, they were tired and weary. Gilthoniel handed Arvedui to a young elf at the stables, and then climbed a few flights of steps. She was now in a courtyard. She walked through one of the stone arches and came into a hall lit by brightly burning torches. Gilthoniel rounded a corner and saw Lord Elrond standing at the end waiting for her.

Gilthoniel quickly walked up to him and dropped her bags. She then curtsied and only looked up when he spoke to her.

`Ah, Lady Gilthoniel, what are rare gift it is for you to come here.' Elrond said in his deep, powerful voice.

`Thank you for allowing me to stay here, my Lord. I `m sorry that I won't be staying long, my brothers shall return soon.' Elrond frowned at this and closed his eyes and began to walk down the corridor. Gilthoniel picked up her bags and followed him. At the other end was a small but beautifully furnished room. Gilthoniel put her bags down and thanked Elrond for letting her stay again, then began to change her clothes. She put on a light pink dress and had a shiny silver circlet set in her hair. She did indeed look very beautiful, and when Findiel came to her room to take her to dinner, he gasped at her beauty and when her eyes met with his, he felt himself falling for everything about her, her slim figure, big purple eyes, pale skin, dark hair, everything.

She smiled at the look upon his face and took him arm, walking with him to Elrond's hall. Inside there was Elladan and Elrohir, Elrond's two sons, Arwen Undómiel, the Evenstar and the eldest daughter of Elrond, Nimrodel and Tillyena, his youngest children and two of Gilthoniel's best friends and Galandiel, Tillyena's bodyguard.

Tillyena looked at Findiel in disgust and said `Honestly, Gilthoniel, what company you keep!'

Findiel glared at her and said `What do you mean?'

`Well, you're a wood elf, aren't you?'

Findiel said nothing, just stared at his plate and shrugged his shoulders. Gilthoniel put her arm around him and stared at Tillyena, appalled. She didn't know Tilly could be so harsh, so mean.

`What?' Tilly said, not knowing what she'd done. `He is though, isn't he?'

`Maybe you should have asked that first?' Gilthoniel hissed at her, then tilted Findiel's chin so he had to look at her. `Are you ok, what's wrong?'

Findiel glanced over at Tilly, who was looking at them, and shook his head. `Never mind' he said then looked back down at his plate.

Eventually the atmosphere brightened and everyone, except Findiel, who was extremely hurt, began talking about what was happening in the world.

`So, Haldir led a huge army to Helm's Deep?' Nimrodel asked, puzzled.

`Yes, why?'

`Is he actually capable of doing something like that?' Nimrodel asked. Gilthoniel looked reproachful, so Nimrodel quickly said `Well, you told me about the time when you asked him to go to fetch your hat and he came back with about a dozen howling cats. I just remembered that and thought that maybe it should be one of your other brothers, not Haldir.'

Gilthoniel muttered darkly under her breath `Should have been me, more like.'

`What did you say?' asked Arwen, who sat across the table from her.

`Did I say something? I don't think I did.'

Arwen looked puzzled, then went back to what she was saying to Elrond about Aragorn. Gilthoniel couldn't listen. Firstly, because it's called eavesdropping and secondly because every time she heard Arwen silly girly voice talk about “darling Aragorn” she burst into fits of laughter.

`So, Gilthoniel, have the Fellowship been your way yet?' Tillyena asked, looking very interested.

`Yes, they have actually. They stayed for quite a while too.'

Tillyena shuddered. `I would hate to have to stay in the same place as that disgusting wood elf for more than a minute, how did you manage?'

Gilthoniel's eyes fell. She'd almost forgotten about Legolas. Almost, but not quite. Suddenly bad memories filled her head and something itched at the back of her mind, a long forgotten memory, wanting to be looked at again. Gilthoniel knew her eyes were changing colour so she quickly looked down at her plate and began organizing her vegetables in size order on her plate.

Eventually dinner was over and Gilthoniel went with Nimrodel and Tilly into one of the beautiful gardens. There they sat, making flower chains and talking about guys.

`Ah, Galandiel is the best by far. There is no one for me except him and it will always be like that.' Tilly said dramatically.

`What about you, Nims?' Gilthoniel looked up from her chain at Nimrodel, who hadn't said very much.

`Nimrodel isn't going to get married,' Tilly teased. `No one wants to marry her, even if she did like guys.'

`What about you, Gilthoniel,' Nimrodel said, not really interested because she was concentrating on making a necklace out of pink lilies.

Gilthoniel blushed, remembering Legolas. Then, while she was thinking about every detail of him, an image of Findiel swam into her head. She blushed even deeper and said `Well, I don't know really. There is this one elf who I know likes me, but I really like someone else just as much.'

Tillyena giggled. `Gilthoniel's going to be one of those girls who have so many guys she can't keep track of them.'

Gilthoniel glared at her. `That's not true!' Gilthoniel stood and threw down the flower chain, her eyes turned hazel and tears of fury ran down her cheeks. She ran away from Nimrodel and Tillyena, back to her room in Rivendell and slammed the door.

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