"To Gandalf," Arabella murmured, her eyes shining with tears in the darkness, though in truth her mind was far away from her old friend. Marylyn's words had surprised her so much that she had hardly been able to reply, only giving a weak nod. How had the she-elf guessed such a thing? Ari supposed that they had told them that they had just come from the Golden Wood, so it would make sense that Marylyn would suspect that the Lady of Light had given Arabella such a gift. But the way she spoke...it seemed like she knew so much more....like she knew that it was not to Arabella that Galadriel had given the necklace, but to her mother.

"Wait!" she called, leaping to her feet to follow Marylyn as she went to keep watch. "How did you know that? How did you guess?"

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Sig set and banner by the amazing Nurr!!

Take it easy Will! I know the feeling all too well!

Sadron chuckled and waved his hand dismissively: "Tonight we have safety in numbers," he grinned and stood, stretching his legs in the process. He caught the water-bottle as it neared him, snatching it out of the air mid-flight. He drank and tossed it on to his sister, who caught it deftly.
Rhavaniel smiled gently and shook her head, her eyes seeking Aragorn's and Legolas': "We will let no harm come to you this night."

Boromir watched his companions carefully. The amusement in Marylyn's eyes had not been lost on him even if he was feeling rather merry. He ran a hand through his knotted hair- He always felt out of place amongst the elves. Even travelling with Legolas as long as he had, he still felt outshone by the elvish prince. Like his kin his hair and features were always immaculate, his humor carefully tailored to the company he was in. The elves were gracious in every way, even if they did differ from Rivendale to Lothlorien, and seemingly Mirkwood too.

As Arabella leapt up to follow Amara, Rhavaniel started and felt her hand go to the knife at her hip. She was not used to the company of men; they moved much more noisily than her kin, but she harboured a love for them all the same. In her youth she had been cold towards them, referring to them as "Mayflies", dying off so soon after the summer of their lives. Now she looked on them much more kindly; they had a passion for action that only mortality could allow.

"Be careful, Granger!," she called out and winked. She liked the way the young sorceress seemed to catapult herself into things without much regard for protocol or her own safety.

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. O r b i s N o n S u f f i c i t .

"Wait!" Arabella had called, raising to her feet and following after Marylyn. Marylyn turned to face her, dragging her eyes from the trees. "Yes?" she asked pleasently, tilting her head curiously. She grinned faintly at Arabella's questions. "It was no guess Arabella. That necklace was not gifted to you, but your mother. Keladry was a wonderful woman. Very intriguing." Her eyes brightened as fond memories of Keladry were drawn from the deep recesses of her mind. "Lady Galadriel gave that necklace to your mother as thank you for saving her life." She said quietly, glancing back at the trees before returning her attention to Arabella. "It is indeed a wonderful necklace," her hand rose to caress the stone briefly.

Legolas bowed his head to Rhavaniel. "I know you will. I do not doubt your skills in defence or protection." He glanced to Marylyn. "Your warrior seems very focused," he stated to Rhavaniel. "And it is because of that I can sit with no fear this night." He smiled warmly as he relaxed back onto his hands, stretching his feet out to the warmth of the fire.

Marylyn walked back to the fire. She desired to keep the fellowship together and in the light in case danger lurked in the shadows. Marylyn crouched down beside Boromir, sensing a discomfort. Marylyn had heard much about Boromir and in truth she had longed to meet him. In Marylyn's eyes Boromir was a more valiant warrior than some of the elvish men she had met in battle. He would make a great commander of Gondor. Her eyes fluttered to Aragorn briefly. She shrugged her shoulders as she sat more comfortably. "Do you like the wine my lord?" she asked politely.

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"You knew her," Arabella breathed, her eyes shining. For a moment, she didn't say anything, too surprised to speak. This was what she had suspected, of course, but it had seemed so fantastical to her that she hadn't dared to hope it might be true. "I had no idea my family had such dealings with the Elves, until Lady Galadriel told me," she admitted. She was silent for a while longer, remembering all the Lady had told her. When she spoke again, her words were softer, slightly sad. "I am glad that at least one of us remembers her clearly. I've tried and tried, but it feels like the memories slip away from me more and more each day. I've been on my own for so long..." She looked away, off into the forest, as if those elusive memories might be hiding from her there. "I envy the elves, for they can remember so much and I...well, as you can see, I cannot." She gave an embarrassed little shrug. "From what you and Lady Galadriel have told me, though, I am truly proud to be her daughter, and I can only hope that she would be proud of me, too, if she were alive."

They made their way back to the camp, Ari still silently musing. She would have liked to remain for a while longer under the trees, but she supposed it would not do to wander around by herself. The last thing she needed on this night was to get scolded once more by Aragorn and Legolas.

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Sig set and banner by the amazing Nurr!!

((I'm terribly sorry that I haven't been able to post -- school has been keeping me way too busy, along with college applications, and everything's decided to happen at the same time. I'll post as soon as I get a chance, and again, I'm very sorry! ))

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- married fingon fingolfinion 6/4/13 -
~art credit~

(Don't worry about it, Shadowcat! Real life does like to get in the way, and applying for colleges can be stressful and time consuming! I think either Rhavaniel, Will, or Naerwen should post next, but we'll try not to get too far ahead without you! )

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Sig set and banner by the amazing Nurr!!

Marylyn glanced over to Arabella. "Your mother is proud of you. I would not doubt that for one second. And..." she added carefully. "I think you remember more than you realise. Have more faith in yourself Arabella, there is no cause not to." She smiled softly to her newfound companion before peering up at the trees. At first impulse she wanted to launch herself into their heights, but such playfulness would have to wait. These parts were always in use, they had become a common route to various destinations. It would not bode well to draw attention to their group.

Marylyn reached out and picked up her waterskin. Wine was her first choice, but she did not want to lower her inhibitions at the current time. It would certainly be a nice reward, but a duty still remained. While the fellowship was in her midst it was her duty to ensure their safety.

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Boromir turned his head away from where Sadron was seated and looked at Marylyn. The elves were indeed a mystery to him. Their manners and grace were both impeccable and the way their movements seemed to flow into each others was a source of fascination to him. The elven siblings were so alike and yet so different to each other. He remembered meeting Lord Elronds twin sons and feeling the same- the connection they shared seemed to go deeper than their very bones.

"I..." as he looked at the elf-woman he found himself trying to remember her question. They threw him, the women he found more difficult to understand than the men. They were so beautiful, and yet coming from Mirkwood they had a wilder beauty about them than the elves, or 'elleths' as he had been informed their women were called, of Rivendale and Lorien.
"I find no fault with it," he finished somewhat lamely.

Sadron gave the human a sharp look then glanced at Legolas. He had felt the human's confusion from the moment they had first met. There was something else in the tone of his voice though, and a haunted glint in his eye. Could it be that the race of men were still not capable of withstanding such temptation? Had neither Elrond or Galadriel seen fit to examine these men who carried the fate of Arda in their hands?

"All my warriors are hand-picked," the councillor remarked coolly "You'll remember our standard of excellence, princeling," there was an even smile on his face, but his voice was strained. As he switched fluidly to Sindarin, he felt the human's gaze fix on him again:"Legolas, perhaps-"

His sister cut him off as she reached across to pluck Marylyn's water-flask out of her hands:"Share now, cousin," she winked,"You forget Sadron is a glutton and I must share with him!"
Her brother straightened himself, obviously annoyed "You must nothing."
Rhavaniel let her eyes wander lazily around the fire then shrugged and drank from the flask,"Perhaps I should hold vigil soon."

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. O r b i s N o n S u f f i c i t .

~Thought I'd try to keep it going.

Marylyn was fully aware of the thoughts running through Lord Boromir's mind. It was the same with all men. Marylyn had long grown bored of trying to understand the fantasies of men. It was sad and unfortunate that they were still to realise that beauty was only skin deep. Marylyn reached back to let her hair down, relaxing in the still quite tense company. She waited patiently for Lord Boromir's response, resisting the temptation to roll her eyes. Finally he answered. "I am glad you like it my lord," she bowed her head. "I can see that you are deep in contemplation. I would not want to stifle your progress. Enjoy the serenity Lord Boromir." Marylyn arose from her seat once again. Marylyn had never really liked staying still for too long. Her parents had joked about that particular trait being responsible for her lack of suitor. No man could keep up with her, elf or otherwise. Marylyn snickered faintly, her eyes roaming to Rhavaniel.

"Sit cousin. We have had a long journey. Enjoy our company while they stay with us. I know they cannot linger for long. I shall keep watch. My bones are as restless as always," she winked to Rhavaniel playfully before stepping out of the small ring that had moved to gather around the fire. Marylyn crossed to her horse and pulled out a second water skin and tossed it to Rhavaniel. "I always carry spares for that specific reason," her eyes sparkled with delight as they darted to Sadron. "We tease because we love Sadron," she said softly before beginning a scout around the perimeter of the circle, her eyes peering into the deep shadows of the forest that surrounded them.

Legolas straightened, holding his hands out to the fire. "I do remember our standard of excellence Sadron. I would expect nothing less. I appreciate you looking out for us. If there is anything we can do to repay you..." he trailed off, knowing he had little to offer, but his arms and even those had already been given. He glanced over at Marylyn, watching her swift movements between the trees. "Your warriors are more restless than I remembered Sadron." Legolas sighed. "Although, again, I would not expect anything less in these times..." his voice grew quiet towards the end of his sentence. He had noticed that Sadron's voice had become strained, his sister had been quick to silence him. This only made Legolas more curious, switching to sindarin to ask his next question. "You seem worried or dare I say fearful councillor. Is there something wrong?" Legolas tilted his head, carefully place a smile on his face to mask the true emotion of the conversation.

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Hello? xx

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I'm still here and willing to keep this going, if anyone else is? I dunno where Rhav went.

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Sig set and banner by the amazing Nurr!!

Eep, I'd pick this up again if everyone wants to, now that I have time! I'll go back and reread everyone's posts when I get a chance.

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- married fingon fingolfinion 6/4/13 -
~art credit~

I'm happy to keep this going too x

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Me too! At last things have quietened down a bit, I'll post next just need to refresh my memory ^^

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. O r b i s N o n S u f f i c i t .

Glad to see you back Rhavaniel!

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Eek it's been over a year since the last post. Scary how busy we can get eh? Anyone still wanting to keep this rp going? x

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