Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Fellowship of the Gundam ❯ Lothlorien ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter 11: Lothlorien

Night fell before they reached their destination, so Haldir had them spend the night on an elevated platform constructed between the boles of several trees. Alexa and Jett were delighted and spent most of their time hanging off the edge of the platform giggling.

“Why do girls giggle all the time?” Zechs wondered idly. “My sister tended to giggle a lot when she was younger, before she became queen and was weighed down by the burdens of statecraft.”

“Relena used to giggle?” Duo said. “She was always so serious whenever I saw her.”

“I heard her giggle once or twice,” Heero reluctantly admitted.

“Well, that's probably because she was flirting with you,” Duo reminded him.

“But back to the original topic,” Zechs interrupted. “Why do they giggle? They're not even doing anything particularly amusing, like building a miniature catapult to launch walnuts at students you don't like.”

Heero and Duo lifted eyebrows at him.

“You used to build miniature catapults to launch walnuts at students you didn't like?” Duo asked.

Zechs flushed. “It wasn't always catapults. Sometimes I built trebuchets.”

“And walnuts were your projectile of choice?”

“We had a lot of walnut trees on our estate,” Zechs said, a little defensively.

“I see.”

“My siege engines were highly coveted! No one built machines that could match my distance or impact speed.”

“I thought the Peacecrafts were supposed to be pacifists,” Heero said. “Building siege engines, even toy ones, doesn't sound very peaceful.”

“Refusing to engage in warfare doesn't mean one shouldn't learn how to do it,” Zechs stated archly. “And anyway, I was still in elementary school at the time, so I was still learning the finer points of pacifism.”

“I wouldn't have thought shooting at people with projectile weapons was a fine point,” Heero muttered.

“At any rate,” Duo said, “I think you underestimate Alexa and Jett. I bet they'd think lobbing walnuts with a catapult was great fun.”

“I'm sure they would,” Wu-Fei interrupted, sitting down next to Duo, “since at the moment they're chucking pebbles at squirrels.” An explosion of squeals from the girls punctuated his statement. “Apparently they just got a clean hit.”

Zechs put a hand over his face. “I had all these plans of raising a sophisticated young lady once. I blame Treize.”

“Blame me for what?” Treize said, his attention abruptly pulled away from the conversation between Haldir, Aragorn and Quatre by the mention of his name.

“That.” Zechs pointed at Alexa.

At that moment, Alexa flung up her hands with a triumphant shout. “Got him! Right on the noggin!” She and Jett high-fived before dangling their upper bodies back over the edge.

“Your daughter often behaves in a very unsophisticated way,” Zechs clarified.

“And that's my fault?” Treize complained. “I've taught Alexa to fence, play chess, ballroom dance, make wine and skeet shoot. What could possibly be more sophisticated than that?”

Zechs rolled his eyes.

“Skeet shooting is sophisticated?” Duo whispered to Wu-Fei.

“It's a gentleman's sport,” Wu-Fei replied.

“It's shooting at chunks of clay pitched through the air! That's not a sport.”

“It's harder than it looks.”

“It's still not a sport.”

Treize returned his attention to Haldir, Aragorn and Quatre. Aragorn had been recounting the story of their journey from Rivendell to a rather skeptical Haldir.

“From the sound of it,” Haldir said, “you've been making mistakes pretty much since you left Rivendell. I'm surprised you haven't already lost the ring to Sauron.”

“That is unfair!” Aragorn said. “Our mission requires both secrecy and speed, and sometimes those goals are at odds. We do the best we can with the circumstances placed before us.”

“And now Gandalf is lost to you,” Haldir sniffed. “It seems like your mission has already failed.”

“Well, aren't you Mr. Doom and Gloom?” Quatre snapped. “Frodo still has the ring and we haven't been caught. Why not step up and be part of the solution instead of part of the problem?”

Haldir blinked in surprise. “Well, I…”

“Anyway,” Quatre continued. “We hadn't planned to come this way, but we're here now. So I'd like to hear what the greatest collection of elves in Middle Earth can do for us.”

Haldir stiffened at Quatre's tone. “We cannot protect the ring for you…” he began.

Quatre waved a hand. “We already know what we're going to do with the ring,” he said. “What can you do to help us on our way, preferably undetected?”

“That is for the Lady Galadriel to decide,” Haldir said huffily.

“Then why are we even talking to this clown?” Heero growled. “Seems to me he's just mostly holding us up. Duo already heard from the lady and she's apparently waiting to talk to us.”

“A well-made if impolitely stated point,” Trowa said. “Why don't we shelve the matter until we reach wherever it is we're going?”

“That might be best,” Aragorn agreed.

“Very well,” Haldir said. He turned stiffly on his heel and marched over to his own companions.

“Haldir is usually more polite,” Aragorn said apologetically. “The prospect of another war may be weighing heavily on his shoulders.”

“He needs to get over it,” Heero grumbled.

“Why don't we eat before Alexa and Jett have brained every squirrel in the neighborhood?” Wu-Fei suggested.

“That's the best suggestion anyone's had yet!” Duo said cheerfully. “I wonder if our hosts will do the polite thing and feed us.”

The elves did in fact feed them, making a great show of presenting bread, cheese and something that Heero declared was only slightly better than natto.

“The gooey strings don't quite have the tensile strength one expects from good natto.”

“You've eaten natto?” Wu-Fei said, his face scrunched into a nauseated frown.

“Yeah, but I've never enjoyed it.”

“Oh, come on!” Duo exclaimed as he shoveled down spoonfuls of the sticky mess under discussion. “Natto's good for you.”

“I'd rather eat dirt,” Wu-Fei declared.

“Dirt tastes better,” Heero said.

“You guys are too picky.”

“I like it,” Jett announced.

“I'd rather have raw meat,” Roku said.

“We do not eat meat in Lothlorien,” Haldir replied with a superior air.

Roku licked his chops, exposing his sharp, glistening fangs. “Herbivores taste better than meat eaters,” he noted casually.

Alarmed expressions crossed the faces of several elves.

“We hobbits never say no to a nice bit of roast!” Pippin quickly interjected. “A well-rounded diet is a healthy diet, I always say.”

“And you're certainly well-rounded!” Alexa teased, poking Pippin in his plump little stomach.

Roku stood up. “I'm going hunting. Who wants a nice venison haunch?”

“Me!” Pippin and Merry shouted in unison, sticking their hands in the air.

Frodo and Sam exchanged a quick look and promptly stuck their hands up as well. “Us, too!”

“Start a fire, then. I'll bring back a deer. I smelled some on the way here.” He walked to the edge of the platform, changed into the form of a barn owl, and floated away.

The elves stared.

Boromir blinked several times. “How is he going to catch a deer like that?”

“I imagine he'll change into something larger when he finds one and drop on it from above,” Quatre said calmly.

“That's a mighty handy talent,” Gimli said.

“Flying dwarves are the last thing the world needs,” Legolas snorted.

“Elves of any kind are of less value!”

This statement brought all the Lothlorien elves to their feet with cries of protest.

Aragorn put a firm hand on Gimli's shoulder, but it was to Legolas he addressed himself. “I expect better from a Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas,” he said sharply. “Mind your tongue.”

Legolas ducked his head. “You speak well, Aragorn. Forgive me.” He held out a hand to Gimli. “My apologies, Gimli. We are comrades in this venture and I should be more circumspect in my remarks.”

“Indeed you should!” Gimli retorted, but he accepted Legolas' outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. “I'll go down and start a fire so we can roast some meat when Roku gets back.” He marched to the edge of the platform and leaped off.

“We'll help!” the hobbits called out and hurried after him, but they used the ropes to slide down rather than jumping.

“We Mirkwood elves have never gotten on well with dwarves,” Legolas confessed to Aragorn. “Civility is difficult.”

Aragorn patted his shoulder. “Don't worry about it. Try thinking of him as a tall, unusually hairy hobbit.”

Legolas smirked. “That is an amusing concept.”

The smell of wood smoke drifted up from below and Hadeya stood up. “I'm going to lend the others a hand.”

“You just want first crack at the meat,” Duo remarked.

“I try to be helpful whenever I can,” Hadeya replied with a straight face. He walked to the edge of the platform. “Of course, getting a choice steak off of a fresh kill is worth the effort.” He grinned at Duo and jumped off.

“I want steak, too!” Jett exclaimed. She ran to the edge and leaped off without slowing down. “Catch me, Hadeya!”

“Jett!” Heero and Duo shouted. They dashed to the edge of the platform and looked over worriedly.

“I got her!” Hadeya called.

Duo heaved a sigh of relief. “That child has no sense of fear!”

“I'm going to use the rope,” Alexa said. She made a great show of carefully grasping a rope and then swung out like Tarzan. “Yahoo!” She slid down like a monkey.

Zechs sighed. “She's going to have rope burns on her hands.”

“I'll take care of it,” Quatre said. He changed into a falcon and flew down to join the others.

The elves stared.

“Is this shape-changing a common skill among your people?” one asked Treize hesitantly. “I know of no wizard who has such a talent.”

“It's not common,” Treize assured the elf with a smile.

Heero was still at the edge looking down. “Hey, it looks like Roku's back already. Man, he's quick.”

Haldir frowned disapprovingly. “This platform is one of our regular haunts,” he said. “Entrails and other reeking remains will attract insects and rodents to this place.”

“Don't worry about it,” Duo said. “Roku will probably eat all the guts and brains and stuff. He says those are some of the yummy bits. We'll bury the rest.” He leaned over the edge. “Hey, Roku! Save me some brains!” He shinnied down the rope Alexa had used.

One elf turned green and staggered to the far side of the platform.

Wu-Fei nodded sympathetically. “I know just how he feels.”

“I'm going down to get some meat,” Heero said. “Anyone else?”

“Yeah, I'll come,” Zechs said. “Will you join us, Treize?”

“Certainly.”

The three of them left the platform.

Boromir gazed after them speculatively. “I think a hot venison steak would sit well after the difficult time we had in those caves. If you'll excuse me, I am going to join the others as well.” He also left the platform.

Haldir looked down his nose at those who were left. “You do not plan on joining your companions?”

“No, I'm good with the bread and cheese,” Wu-Fei said. “What about you, Trowa?”

“I was just waiting for the chance to make a dramatic exit and entrance,” he said with a grin. He took a few steps back, ran to the edge and leaped off, executing a double-flip with a half-twist, extending his body at the end to land on his feet somewhere below. A smattering of applause floated back up.

“Acrobats!” Wu-Fei muttered.

Aragorn sat down with a thump. “I could use Gandalf's advice right now.”

“He'd probably tell you to go have a steak, too,” Wu-Fei said.

“No, I meant about the meeting with Galadriel. She is a great lady and I do not know what guidance she is likely to give.”

“You'll find out tomorrow, so it's better to get a good night's sleep and not worry about it.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It is easy,” Wu-Fei replied. “Watch.” And he stretched out on the platform and promptly went to sleep.

Aragorn stared. “How can he just fall asleep on demand like that? Is his mind not troubled by the obstacles facing us?”

“I think his advice is sound,” Legolas said. “Trouble will find us soon enough. Better to be rested and with the energy to face it. Lie down and I will sing something soothing. Perhaps it will inspire sweet dreams of better times.”

“I don't know…”

“Here, rest your head upon my knee and I will rub your temples. Close your eyes and think of the lovely Arwen Evenstar.” Aragorn did as he suggested and Legolas rubbed his temples while he sang something in elvish.

Wu-Fei cracked an eye open. “It's a good thing Arwen can't see that,” he murmured to no one in particular. “I'm sure she would totally misunderstand what's going on.” He closed his eye. “But then again, maybe not.”

In the morning, there was not a trace of the deer Roku had killed. “Waste not, want not,” Roku intoned when Wu-Fei asked about it.

“There aren't deer guts stuffed in your storage space are there?” Wu-Fei asked queasily.

“They're cooked,” Roku assured him. “We stuffed all the leftovers into the intestines and made sausages. They should be pretty tasty. I had some garlic and Sam has this really great bit of seasoning.”

“Venison sausages?” Wu-Fei pursed his lips doubtfully.

“They'll be right tasty, Mr. Wu-Fei,” Sam said. “Trust me.”

“From you, those words do not inspire fear.”

“So aren't you going to ask what we did with the bones?” Duo asked with a twinkle in his eye.

“No, I'm not!” Wu-Fei declared firmly. “We should get moving.”

The group set out, flanked on either side by elves and with Haldir leading the way. It was a pleasant walk through deep green forests, past emerald meadows and over sparkling streams. At length they came out on a rise that gave them an unobstructed view of a collection of impossibly tall trees clustered close together on a hill.

“Behold the home of the Galadrim!” Haldir announced reverently. “The heart of Elvendom on Earth!”

“It's dramatic enough, I suppose,” Zechs said, “but I think Rivendell was prettier.”

Haldir looked shocked.

“I agree,” Treize said. “Rivendell was more artistically appealing built around the canyons and waterfalls, with the trees and vines woven all through it.”

“Y… You have not yet seen it close up!” Haldir stammered. “There is no comparison when you see the staircases, platforms and living spaces that await you. Come!” He led the way quickly and soon brought them up the slope and under the canopy of those massive trees. The trees were so big, in fact, that they cast everything below them into deep shadow and it was quite cool. Interestingly, almost nothing in and around the trees was made of carved wood. Instead, the living branches of the trees themselves had been woven together and allowed to grow into staircases and platforms. Woven curtains and cloth panels stretched over frames of woven vines formed walls and doors. Even in the daylight, glowing lanterns lighted the gloom under the trees. Haldir stopped with his hands on his hips. “Now surely you are awed by the beauty that is Lothlorien!”

“It's a tree-house,” Heero stated flatly.

“A big-ass tree-house,” Duo corrected.

“Is it technically a tree-house if there's more than one tree involved?” Trowa wondered aloud.

“Well,” Quatre said, his hand on his chin, “the definition of a tree-house is a house in a tree, but I don't think one is limited to the house occupying a single tree. I think if the house encompasses multiple tree boles but is still a single structure it's still just a tree-house.”

“However, in this case,” Wu-Fei put in, “the structure is not contiguous, which might constitute multiple tree-houses.”

Haldir's face turned beet red and he clenched his fists. “It's not a tree-house!” he shouted. “It is the city of the Galadrim!”

“Oh, I don't buy that at all,” Zechs said. “It's much too small to be a city. Before it was destroyed, our manor house probably encompassed the same square footage of living space, especially if you included the gardens.”

Haldir's mouth worked silently.

“But it is quite pleasant,” Treize acknowledged, “if a bit on the cool side. What's it like when it rains?”

Haldir struggled to keep his temper. “Please follow me,” he said stiffly. “Her Ladyship awaits you.” He took them up a staircase that wound around the trunk of one mighty tree. They finally came out on a high platform with stairs made of trained tree branches on the far side, leading up to a room screened off with beautiful brocade drapes. Haldir stopped at the foot of the stairs and bowed silently.

The drape at the top of the stairs was pulled back from the inside and a man and woman emerged. The man might have been handsome, but unfortunately for him, he was in the presence of probably the prettiest woman ever born. She had long golden hair, smooth ivory skin, eyes the color of rainwater and perfect features. Everyone stared at her appreciatively, so it took a moment to notice that the man was speaking.

“Where is Gandalf? I would like to speak with him.”

A small, unhappy wrinkle formed on the woman's smooth brow. “He has fallen into shadow,” she said in a silken voice.

“Gandalf was lost to us in Moria, Lord Celeborn,” Aragorn said.

“Ah,” the woman said, “and now you come to us adrift like a rudderless boat.”

Quatre frowned. “Pretty, but not entirely accurate, my lady. We could just use a little help getting on our way.”

“You are not from here,” Galadriel said, her eyes widening slightly. She smiled as her gaze flowed over the group, coming to rest on Duo. He flinched.

“Can you take it down a notch, my lady?” he grimaced. “I'm right here.”

She laughed softly and her eyes moved onto Roku. “What is this?” she whispered. “I see a double-image here.”

Roku promptly shifted into human form and bowed. “It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Galadriel grinned delightedly and inclined her head. “The pleasure is mine.” She finally let her gaze fall on Frodo. She didn't speak, but Frodo ducked his head, an unhappy expression engulfing his features. “You shall rest here tonight,” she said after a long moment. “You have not had time to mourn your loss and your hearts are heavy. In the morning, we shall give you what assistance we may.”

Aragorn bowed. “Thank you, my lady.”

As Haldir escorted them back down, Duo moved close to Frodo and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

“Don't fret about what she said, Frodo. We've got your back.”

Frodo blinked in surprise. “You heard her?”

“How could I not?” Duo rubbed his temple. “My head's still ringing. Anyway, we're not going to let Sauron get you or the ring. We've dealt with worse.”

“Sauron is the epitome of evil.”

“You can say that only because you haven't met Relena,” Heero muttered.

“Quit ragging on my sister,” Zechs said absently. “She has issues.”

“Tell me about it.”

At the bottom of the stairs, Haldir led them to a large rock with a shallow cave at the bottom, protected by large tree roots and a few smaller boulders. “You can spend the night here,” he said.

“You're making us camp out?!” Pippin objected.

“Now I know Rivendell was better,” Zechs said. “They had natural beauty and rooms with beds.”

Haldir stalked off without saying a word.

A moment later, the sound of mournful singing drifted down from the trees.

“What's that?” Merry asked.

“They are mourning Gandalf,” Legolas said. “The words are too sad to repeat.”

“In many cultures,” Wu-Fei said, falling into teacher mode, “people mourned the loss of loved ones by celebrating their lives, often with cheerful songs and laughter. Personally, I prefer that. I think it's better to remember someone who's gone with happiness.”

“That's unusually upbeat for you, Wu-Fei,” Duo said.

“I'm an upbeat guy,” Wu-Fei replied. “You just don't pay enough attention.”

“I'll have to remember that next time I'm trying to get into your pants.”

“Roku, bust out those sausages,” Heero said. “I'm not having any more of that natto knock-off.”

“Yes, Papa.”

After that, everyone sat around munching on sausages, bread, apples, cheese and chicken pot pies.

“Where the hell did Roku get chicken pot pies?”

“Who knows? I'm just glad he had them.”

After dinner, Aragorn got out his pipe and started smoking, so Pippin and Merry bummed tobacco off of him so they could smoke, too.

Alexa and Jett watched while lying on their bellies, their chins propped in their hands.

“You shouldn't smoke, you know,” Alexa said to Merry.

Merry puffed out a ring of smoke. “Why not?”

“It's bad for your lungs and can make you sick.”

“Sam's gaffer smokes and he's ninety-three,” Merry replied blissfully.

“And he doesn't look a day over seventy-five,” Pippin added.

“It's still bad for you.”

“Bilbo smoked for years and he's one hundred and twelve years old.”

“He looked two hundred and twelve,” Jett said.

“That was because of the ring,” Frodo interrupted. “It extended his life while he had it. Once he gave it to me, his age… caught up with him.”

Jett stared at Frodo quizzically. “Does that mean you're a hundred years old, too?”

“No!” Frodo flushed. “I'm only thirty-four!”

“That's old.”

“No, it's not!”

“Alexa's daddy is the oldest one in our family and he's not that old.”

“That doesn't make me old!”

“I guess…” Jett said doubtfully.

“He's older than me and Pippin,” Merry confided. “And Sam, too. We should start calling him `old man'.”

“You better not!” Frodo exclaimed angrily.

Merry burst out laughing, Pippin grinned hugely, and Jett and Alexa started giggling.

“I… I have something I need to do,” Frodo said and he stomped off.

Gales of laughter followed him away from the campsite. Frodo stumped along frowning until he saw a flash of white under the trees ahead of him. Curious, he followed after it and discovered the Lady Galadriel walking barefoot through the grass. He trailed along behind her, past giant tree trunks and over great snaking roots, until she descended a small stone staircase into a little dell with a fountain of water spilling down one side. When Frodo reached the bottom, she filled a pitcher with water and turned to face him.

“Will you look into the mirror?” She poured the water into a stone basin in the center of the little clearing.

Frodo was so engrossed in his conversation with her and his subsequent vision reflected in the water that he did not see Hadeya watching from the side of the dell. It was not until after she left that he saw Hadeya sitting on the lip of the dell, his feet dangling over the side.

“Did you see all that?” Frodo whispered.

Hadeya nodded. “I saw Galadriel wandering around and wondered what she was up to. You should be careful flaunting that ring around like that. From the sound of it, not many people are immune to its evil.”

“What about you?” Frodo eyed him suspiciously.

“Nope, not interested. I'm a demigod. I have powers enough.” Then Hadeya grinned sheepishly “Well, I admit most of my powers are sensuous in nature because of my mother, but still, I really have no interest in controlling people or running the world. It wouldn't leave me enough free time to pursue my other interests. Some day I really do plan to map all of Jormandgand's loops.” He stood up. “We should head back.”

“Uh, right.” Frodo shuffled toward the stairs. “Do you mind not mentioning anything about what you saw just now?”

“No problem, but Duo probably knows already. Galadriel really does think loud.”