"Ai!" came the voice of the rider. He glanced about and then took notice of the dark figure robed in morning light below him. "Elf-kin!" he cried upon seeing her.
Uialithil smiled and greeted him. "Hail, Prince of Mirkwood!" she steadied his feisty horse with a hand on his halter. The horse calmed down within moments, breathing deeply and eyes close as if in sleep, her palm pressed against his warm muzzle. Only the flick of his ears denoted he was still awake.
"Ai, maiden!" laughed Legolas, "if you do that for much longer, he shall fall from beneath me!"
Uialithil merrily replied, "It is just not me who has brought sleep upon him. For he tells me of a long journey, Prince! Come- after the Council is over you shall sleep, and he shall rest with the other horses in the valley."
Legolas leapt off his horse, saying, "I set out many days ago. Then am I not late?"
"No, you are right on time. Can I do anything for you?"
Legolas shook his head. "Nay, Lady of Rivendell. I will see to my horse later, he will do well wandering under your woods for now. But, I have a feeling I have seen you from somewhere." he approached her to see her face clearer, for now the light was starting to chase the deep shadows cast by her hood.
She removed the hood and tucked it about her robes. "Ai, yes. We met many yen ago, in the forest of Mirkwood, for no more than a moment. I never gave you my name, though you may know it now."
His eyes brightened. "Then you are the maid I was looking for! Uialithil of Lotholorien! I apologize for my father's distasteful attitude- that was not the proper way to host a Lady, or any of the Elven-Kin. Come! Are we not friends, after all has been done and forgiven?"
"We are, if you would like to," she said, a bit shyly. "We can talk much more after the Council, for you and the others shall stay a while. May my House show you how to properly host a guest! Now follow me, Prince, and we will come to the Council together."
They arrived early to the Council, even before Bilbo and Frodo did. She stood next to Glorfindel, and many of the folk present were drawn immediately to her. She had removed her cloak and it was seen she was wrapped in silver and black (instead of her heather-grey robes from the days before) and a pale stone was set upon a simple band around her neck.
The Council went on, and the matters at hand began to become known. At last, after the stories of the evil Ring and of the escape and origin of Smeagol-Gollum came to pass, it was decided a Fellowship would be formed and set out that December to destroy the Ring in Mordor. It was to be comprised of the Ring-bearer Frodo, his three fellow hobbit friends, Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir of Gondor, Legolas, and Gimli son of Glion. When all was decided, Elrond turned solemnly to Uialithil.
"Lady Uialithil," he said, "Now is the time. What of the news you have brought?"
"Mine will not affect what has already been said." she assured him. "I am here on a second errand: it is of what I have been doing during my stay... to destroy a cursed sword Haldir and I found. It has caused much grief to all who have stood close, and has attempted to corrupt the faint-hearted. I was told that your elven-smiths could rid it of the curse, or utterly destroy it if necessary. Is this true?"
"It is," said Elrond.
Elf-magic It burns Elf magic I feel it came a faint but raspy murmur of the voice.
Uialithil withdrew the black sword from her silver belt. Her hands shook. "Then take it away," she said in a trembling whisper. "We have taken to calling it the nythblud, for it cries of evil." she shivered as the voice rose into a shriek that was heard by everyone:
ELVES! THEY WISH TO MELT ME! I feel many folk- of the little people of the hills and of the dwarves of the mountains! Of the men in their lands! BUT ELVES I FEAR MOST! THEY ARE OLD AND WISE- AND THEY CAGE ME!
CAGE! IN PURE AND GOOD MAGIC!
OF THE ELVEN-FOLK I FEAR MOST!
THEY ALL MUST DIE IF MY NEW WORLD IS TO BE PERFECT!
DIE-
Elrond snapped his fingers and the voice went silent. An elf with a thick blue cloth in his hands approached Uialithil and wrapped the black blade and hilt up. With a gentle smile, she curtseyed and turned presently with a rustle of fabric to Elrond again. Then she said,
"I will be leaving here for Lorien before the moon has been born again. For I fear battle may rage there, and I must protect my homeland, even if my heart longs to remain here for more time."
Elrond was quiet for a moment, but then he nodded. The others in the Council stared levedly at her and smiling sadly she walked up to him, taking his hands in her own. She stared up into his grey eyes, her dark robes shining about them both. "Dear father,' she said, "to leave you is not to never see you again."
"I fear not that." came Elrond's hard reply. "You are but a fresh blossom, a young fawn in the crowd of many-seasoned bucks. I fear harm will befall you."
"I am strong," she assured him firmly. "I could compete against many of the greater warriors in this land, and best any of your own in war. But do not worry for me, but for these brave souls!" she turned the Nine of the Fellowship.
"They are in the most danger, yet they will brave it!" Each member looked upon her in turn, and it occurred to them that this ocean-eyed elven-maiden was a hardened warrior, if only for a moment.
Legolas bowed deep to her, much to the others' surprise. "So this is the Lady of Song and Sword of which many have spoken!" he exclaimed. "The child who rode into war like a sort of apparition, and struck down no less than two-thirds of the orcs present by arrow alone! The one who slew hundreds more by blade all over Middle-earth upon her dark steed, and came home without one wound to speak of! The one men called the Greatest of the Shieldmaidens, and the one elves call Gilthoniel's Warrior Princess."
Boromir cleared his throat. "That is name of legend given to a fabled elf-maid of more than five-hundred years ago. Surely it is just a myth, told by those wanting to believe in better things."
"No," said Aragorn. "The Lady of Song and Sword stands before you now, as terrible as a queen yet as merry as a child. Be of respect, Boromir, lest she be quick to anger." his words were serious, but his eyes were laughing.
Uialithil smiled. "You must be of orc-kind to be lowly enough for Elenmacil," she said, the thin white sword at her side swaying. "But I bless you all. I am not as great as you have made me out to be"- her eyes rested on Bilbo- "but I am honored to be considered as such."
Gimli the dwarf bowed his head slightly. One could hear him mutter, "An elven-maid with the will to lift a sword! How terrible, how mighty- but what sorrow."
Uialithil became, over the next month, a more frequent presence. The other elves saw more of her, as did the other guests of Rivendell. On the day after the Council, she and Glorfindel rode their horses around the valley under the blue autumn sky.
Asfaloth and Aiglos came trotting down through the gate of Rivendell. Asfaloth's white pelt shone as bright as veiled star, and Aiglos pulsed with a faint mist around him. Both walked with high steps, their manes and tails flowing in no wind, and as did their riders' cloaks. Uialithil checked Aiglos into a trot, riding elf-fashion as she always did; Glorfindel had a saddle and halter of studded, gleaming jewels. They spoke little, but rode for many hours and did as friends did. Before long Arwen came into the valley to see them.
"Ai Lady!" said Glorfindel, from beside Uialithil, who was offering Asfaloth an apple.
"Greetings!" came Arwen's voice, and she came into sight. "I have come for Uialithil- for Legolas of Mirkwood has been looking for you, sister."
"Why?" Uialithil asked.
"He said he'd like to see you, and talk," said Arwen. "The details are as foggy as a rainy morning. But!" she smiled, her dark hair covering the sides of her fair face. She wore a pale gem bound with silver on her brows, and a long navy-blue and grey robe hung loose on her shoulders. "Fear not! For he is a kind soul and means no evil. Perhaps you'd be willing, Glorfindel, to part fom Uial for now?" she asked of the tall elf.
Glorfindel gave a small smile. "Shall Aigloslilita the Ice-Dancer stay here, or do you wish to ride back?"
Aiglos nudged her roughly, and she pressed back his muzzle, laughing, "I believe he wants to take me back! Son of the Firstborn Elf-Horse!" she smiled at him, and Aiglos flicked his ears contendedly.
"Then be off!" cried Glorfindel.
Uialithil climbed onto Aiglos and turned partway on his back. She offered her hand to Arwen, who laughing accepted and leaped onto the stallion. They cantered down a well-worn path, laughing and talking and turning to each other, robes flowing- as they passed under the evergreens and the maples. They came into Rivendell and talking with some others of the elf-kin was Legolas. He spotted Uialithil and a smile crossed his face.
"Uialithil! I would like to speak with you."
"Ai, likewise, Prince of Mirkwood! Of what?"
Arwen dismounted with the help of another elf, but Uialithil, when offered a hand, politely refused and slid off herself.
Legolas beckoned Uialithil to sit down, for they were in a grounded pavilion with white stonework and flattering curves of living trees. Some other elves came for Arwen and the lot of those present left, soon leaving only Legolas and Uialithil, with a strangler or two. They talked for many hours, and soon the afternoon had been washed away and the evening had come down from the heavens. Many matters were thought over- from the Ring and the War of the Second Age to Mirkwood and the rest of Middle-earth. They agreed over many subjects and learned many things of each other, even as the moon rose to replace the sun.
As the rest of the month went by, Uialithil prepared for her journey back to Lorien. She spoke again to Bilbo and the hobbits, but their talk was of the homeliness of the Shire and Hobbiton, not of serious things. Uialithil gave many tips to Samwise on gardening and the attracting of birds to the flowers- he took many notes; Merry and Pippin delighted in her mischievous plots in her youth, when she had brought upon both Lorien and Rivendell pranks of massive proportions.
"I even once made the library invisible," she said impishly. "We have many avid readers here, many of whom go everyday for various reasons- what a spectacle it was to see so many distressed! Of course, I can't be mean to people for long, and I always say sorry- it pained me to pull pranks on others which is why I don't do it anymore. I mostly did it as a youngster, before I began training in the art of war. This should be something you do as well, saying sorry," she said more seriously to them.
Frodo took knowledge of her travels and the path the Nine would have to take. "Up the High Pass, and through the Misty Mountains. From there press on to Lotholorien, if Mithrandir wishes! I will see you there, perhaps!" she said. She sat beside Bilbo, who was napping in a small armchair: they were in Frodo's chamber, and most of the hobbits were lying on their stomachs on Frodo's bed.
"What if the path is blocked?" came Pippin's first in an undoubtedly long stream of questions.
Patiently, Uialithil answered him. "I hope it is not. The only other way could be very dangerous."
"How will you get home?" came Pippin's next question.
"I'm not heading home right away. I am going down to Bree on an errand," she told him. Before he could open his mouth to ask, 'What errand?' she added, "It is of a sensitive type. I wish not to speak of it much, until the deed has been done."
Pippin's eyes brightened. "Bree! We didn't have the best time there. Where to next?"
"I will then head through the Old Forest. Tom there and his lady Goldberry have said I am welcome to come for mealtime, if I ever have the need."
The hobbits recalled Tom and Frodo said, "I was glad for his help. I don't know what would've happened if he hadn't saved us all those times."
"What next?" came Pippin's voice once again. Merry, by this time, was getting a little annoyed.
"Then, I will go to the nearby town and stay for a few days. I ordered some supplies there; then up the Greenway, and then I'll follow some rivers to Lorien. I will be leaving in a couple days, so I should be in Lorien before you are. If not, I was delayed. Many dangers lurk on the road, from bandits and evildoers to natural dangers."
Some of the hobbits started to look worried, glancing at each other.
"Do not worry!" she said kindly to them. "You are guarded by some of the most valiant in Middle-earth! Aragorn is a Ranger and the Dunedain, and has travelled many a time and knows where exactly to go. Gandalf knows what to do as well, and your fellow Walkers will protect you as if you were their children. For the evil of the Ring and of Sauron must go, and any length to destroy it must be taken!"
One night she was restless and went down to the pavilion again. Her night-robe, white as a silver star and of softest silk, rustled she moved. The low neckline was adorned with small pearls that gleamed in the moonlight.
She sighed as the night breeze came through the trees, and turned to see Legolas.
"Ai. Hello Legolas!"
"I was wanting to see the stars," he remarked. "It can be hard to see them back in Mirkwood."
"Yes. Well, perhaps you should get some rest. You will have plenty of time to see the stars while you are here. Besides, I will be departing tomorrow, to go to Lotholorien, and tonight is my last night to see them myself, with the river running and the birds singing."
"So I have heard! The hobbits talk a lot, and they spoke of your leaving. I was saddened to hear it. But maybe we will meet again. Fate has an odd way of bringing us back to each other. Maybe it is a message of some sort."
Uialithil laughed. "A fine message that would be! But don't despair. I will write, if you'd like that."
"I would rather see you in person. If our path leads to Lotholorien, then we can talk then. Farewell, Uialithil." and with this, Legolas and Uialithil smiled at each other and he returned to his chamber in the main city.
That next day she was to leave. It was a grey and sad day, not just in the weather. She was seen by the gate of Rivendell, quiet as a vigil-night, dark and sad upon Aiglos. Her grey cloak lay upon her dark tunic and her feet were covered in light knee-boots the color of dark leaves in the evening. Her hood was drawn and her face was hidden.
"Go straight to Lotholorien!" Elrond bid of her. "I do not wish that you be caught up in any dangerous adventures!"
Uialithil grinned at this, knowing otherwise, but the deep shadow of her hood covered this from Elrond.
Glorfindel smiled at her, saying, "Ride well! I would go with you, but Elrond wishes me to stay. Your brothers Elladen and Elrohir wish you a fair journey of blue sky and little trouble, and Arwen sends her love as always."
Uialithil nodded, and shifting on Aiglos glanced about at those who had come to see her. "We will part, an si," she said. And so she sang,
Namarie!
Parting is such sweet sorrow
but save your tears for tomorrow
For as grey as the day may seem
soon together we shall be.
Namarie!
"May we meet again!" called many an elf.
"Nai," she smiled,
With a softly-spoken elvish word or two, her great black horse took off as swift as an elk under the forest. As they passed under the dark trees and over the thick undergrowth, the sounds of Rivendell faded into the quiet of nature. Birds sang and leaves rustled, and the winter air came up to nip at them. All the while, the waterfall haven was at their backs.
Translations
Here are the translations if not provided by the text:
This is Quenya for "Star-blade" or "Star-sword".
This is also Quenya, "for now".
"Farewell" in Quenya.
Lastly, also Quenya, "maybe".
