Finding Love in the Lord of the Rings

°°°°Chapter Seventeen°°°°

Chapter Seventeen

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They stood in yet another clearing just as the sun was about to disappear behind the horizon. Clouds rolled over the sun causing them to turn rosey pink in the last rays of the warm sunlight. Stars flecked the inky sky and the moon was already visible in the pool of darkness. The clearing was in the shape of a circle that curved out of sight on either side. A green wall towered before them on a hill that was covered with mallorn trees. Their golden leaves glimmered in the pale light of the moon. Two trees were bent, along with their branches, so when you looked at the right angle the moon rested between them like an egg sits in a nest. The wall encircled the hill and the trees upon it.

"Welcome to Caras Galadhon." Haldir said to them. "Here is the city of the Galadhirm where dwells the Lord Celeborn and Galadriel the Lady of Lórien. But we cannot enter here, for the gates do not face northwards. We must go around to the southern side, and the way is not short, for the city is great."

A path of the whitest stone was paved before them and they followed it west. As they walked upon the path, lights appeared on the black landscape as if the stars had fallen to the earth. The farther they went, the more numerous the lights appeared until the ground was glowing with them. It seemed as if the ground itself was a mirror and was reflecting the night sky.

Soon, they came upon a white bridge that led up to the gates of Lórien. The gates were built into the wall that they had seen earlier on the hill. The wall had not completely encircled the hill, but instead, when it had almost wrapped all the way around it, it stretched out in a never ending line around all of Lórien.

Haldir strode up to the door and knocked thrice upon the door and spoke a password in elvish. The doors swung inward revealing a lane that was bordered by thick trees. Cody could see no guards opening the doors and when they passed through them the door closed silently on their own.

They walked on many paths through the never ending forest and up many stairs. Voices could be heard all around them but no one could be seen. Once, Cody saw a small face poking out from behind a tree but when she went to show Frodo the small girl was gone. She knew the young elf was following them for she could hear high pitched giggles as they walked between the trees.

After an hour or so of walking non stop they finally came to rest on a lawn of the greenest grass. At the end of the lawn sat two elves on thrones, the grandest Cody had ever seen. They were made out of marble but shone like silver in the moonlight. The way the carver of the stones carved the blocks smoothed out the edges so it appeared to be silk that was falling from the sky.

The elves both wore mail that clung to their bodies, it did not hang loosely. As the Fellowship approached they both stood up from their seats and waited for them to come closer.

"Welcome, to Lothlórien!" the male elf said, spreading his arms out in greeting. "Welcome Frodo, son of Drogo, of the Shire."

He greeted each member by name and with a warm smile as they came before them. However when he came to Cody he stopped and spoke to Aragorn. "You left Rivendell with nine members to your Fellowship, there are now eight of you. Where is Gandalf?"

"And there are still nine of us when there should be ten now." Aragorn replied.

"But she is not part of the Fellowship Aragorn."

"Indeed she is Celeborn. She is the ninth member of the Fellowship. Gandalf has passed into a grey mist for I cannot see him unless he passes through the gates of Lothlórien." Galadriel said as if in a daze.

"Yes, she did not leave with us when we left Rivendell but she has been a part of the Fellowship since Moria. That is where Gandalf now rests Celeborn, Galadriel."

This sudden news of Gandalf's passing saddened the elf lord very greatly. His once perfect face was now etched with the lines of sadness. Cries of grief for the fallen elf-friend could be heard through the trees above.

"And how did he come to pass?" he asked after some time.

Aragorn told him of how they came to Moria and the Watcher of the Water guarding the gates. He explained that Pippin had dropped several things down holes and when he dropped the skeleton down the well the orcs had heard it. He did not, however, tell the elf about the shirt of mail that Frodo had been wearing that day. When he came to the part of Gandalf's passing his voice shook but he carried on.

"As the balrog fell he lashed his whipped one last time and he drug Gandalf into the shadows."

Celebor and Galadriel were silent when he finished the story and took in what he had said.

'Welcome, Cody, to Lothlórien. I have known of your own burden for some time now.'

'And what is it my Lady? How can I get rid of it?'

Galadriel turned towards Cody and with a grave expression on her lovely face she said, 'Only the destruction of the Ring can save you. The fires of Mount Doom is where you must travel.'

'But I do not carry the Ring!'

'No, but one of you do.' she replied calmly. Slowly, she turned her head and Cody followed her gaze, it rested upon Frodo.

'Surely Frodo does not carry such a burden?'

'Oh?'

Suddenly, memories of her stay at Tom Bombadill's flooded her mind. She remember looking through the window on that cold night and Frodo pulling out a small ring from his pocket. She remembered him disappearing at the Prancing Pony and had thought about why he had vanished. She recalled her dream of the small boy and how he had slipped a small band of gold around his finger.

'Please, cant you help us both? Take this darkness from my mind and the Ring from Frodo's hand.'

'The Ring is not yours to give young one.'

'I will give you anything; take my sword. Please get it out of me.' Cody begged. She drew her sword and offered the hilt of it to the elf. The others watched her with interest but Cody paid no attention to their actions. Galadriel raised her right hand in front of her and said to Cody, 'Sheath your sword young halfling. What is to come will happen Cody, daughter of Mira. I cannot rid you of your burden.'

"Please!" Cody cried aloud.

"Cody." Frodo soothed. He had walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. He tried to pry her fingers off of the sword but her hold was so tight her knuckles were turning white. Tears streamed down her face and dropped onto her shirt and the grass.

"Please." she sobbed she let go of her sword and sunk down on her knees. Cody stared at the elf woman as she just looked down on her with a calm expression.

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Frodo set her sword on the blades of grass and knelt down beside her. He stared at her face with concern written all over his face. He was about to ask her why she had cried out when he heard a fair voice in his head.

'Leave her be Frodo, son of Drogo. She has her own burden she must carry Ring Bearer.'

'I want to help her.'

'You already are by your fulfilling your quest.'

The voice left his head and he now felt empty. He looked up and saw that the Fellowship was being led to a tree with a stair case that wrapped around the wide trunk. He grabbed Cody's sword and, gently, got her on her feet and followed after them.

What he did not see though was that her sword had turned the once lush, green grass into shriveled, brown strings in the perfect shape of the blade and hilt.

------------Sorry this one took so long guys (and gals) but I've been busy with school and sports and my own love life (jk on the love life(: ) This was also one of my longer chapters and I didn't know how to end it so it went on and on and on until I finished Yay!!! I hope you enjoyed it! But I'm sad that it's almost over:( (Those of you who have read the LOTR books or have at least seen the movies know what I'm talking about. Okay this is going to end up being longer than the chapter:) I'm working on the next one right now so it should be up soon:) -----------------------