Rise (Lord of the Rings)

22 - "A Loyal Heart, Practically One of Gold."

Thank goodness for Lothlórien. Thank goodness for the safety it was giving the Fellowship. Thank goodness I was finally able to clean myself off and get the cut on my arm checked out.

My clothes were fixed thanks to the Elves. They had cleaned them and stitched up the hole in the sleeve all while I freshened up. Elves seemed to be a very hospitable folk, between those in Rivendell and here.

We were to sleep on level ground, thank goodness. I wouldn't stand sleeping high up; I'd worry too much about rolling off the floor and falling to my death.

I found the boys had made a nest under a large tarp that hung over thick tree roots. They were setting out blankets and pillows. This was as close to a bed as I was going to get for tonight. Thinking about it, this was the closest thing I had had to a bed for a long time since leaving Rivendell. It beat having to lie in the dirt.

Gimli, Boromir, and Aragorn were off a few feet from our nest, Legolas was the closest to us. My ears picked up something almost faint and eerily soft: singing. The Elves' voices were traveling down to us. I couldn't understand a word, but they sounded beautiful and haunting at the same time. I looked to see goose bumps high on my arms.

"A lament for Gandalf," Legolas whispered.

"What do they say about him?" I asked curiously.

"I have not the heart to tell you. For me, the grief is still too near."

"I'm sure whatever they say about him does him justice," Frodo said. He was nestled in the nook of a raised web of tree roots. "A lot of people knew of him I'm sure."

"I wish I could understand what they were saying about him so I didn't have to guess," I muttered, frowning.

After Legolas sauntered away, we Hobbits were left to settle in for the night. I couldn't, I wanted to go explore.

I stepped over all the beds made on the ground so I wouldn't have to hear it from anyone that I messed up theirs.

"Where are you going?" Sam called.

"I'm going to have a little look around," I said simply. "Anyone want to join me?"

"I'm too bushed," Pippin whined, yawning to emphasize his point.

"I'm ready to turn it," Sam murmured.

"I'm too comfortable to get up," Frodo said lazily.

"Oh, you boys," I huffed.

"I'll go if you're so in need of company," Merry said, walking to stand at my side. I grinned sheepishly. "Let them sleep. Maybe we'll go on a mini adventure while on the hike!"

"Oh please," I scoffed as we walked away from the tree root tent. "There's not much to make an adventure out of here. You need a few elements to have one."

"Like...?"

"There's got to be danger. It's not much of an adventure if there's nothing exciting happening. There also has to be a goal in mind. We aren't going to find something that needs to be returned to someone or someplace, Merry. This place is one that transports beings into a world that cannot be touched by the evils that lurk outside."

"So you're an expert on adventures, are you?" he teased me.

"I never said that," I retorted lightly, ducking under a raised tree root. "That's just what I believe an adventure has to have."

"You must've been reading too many books of Bilbo's back home, Marlena." Merry chuckled. "What you're describing only happens in stories."

"Not true! The elements are present in the real world as well, because we're on an adventure."