Dawnstar and Friend

Eleanor’s POV
Today was fun. Thankfully none of us were hung over, but Miriel had the great joy of writing that letter to her father. I think we will be able to see the mushroom cloud over the mountains when he gets it because I am certain that the explosion will make an atom bomb look trivial in comparison.
Miriel, in usual Miriel style, that is cheerfully and ever so slightly naively, writes the letter and it goes something like this:
Dear Ada
As you will have noticed, I left with the Elves of Imladris when they took Ginny and Eleanor. They did not actually kidnap me as you may presume. I wanted to go with them and am being very well looked after here. I also think you can’t really complain about me leaving as you like to control and coddle me too much and also you really asked for them taking me when you took Eleanor and Ginny, who is incidentally now Lord Erestor’s ward.
When they took me with them it was because it was necessary for the subterfuge and they would not leave me undefended once I had served my purpose in the subterfuge, which means that they were being honourable, more so than you were with Eleanor and Ginny anyway.
Don’t bother trying to retrieve me as I want to stay here and enjoy it, as I already am. I will resist return and I think all the other elves here will help me stay, as I don’t think you have really got in their good books recently.
Lots of Love
Miriel
I don’t know how she can send a letter like that and not expect him to throw the tantrum of the century. Pity there is no one armed with a camera to take pictures.
In the afternoon, after that paper bombshell has been sent, Maedhren wants to talk to us.
Us being Miriel, Ginny and myself
He looks at us with a slightly sardonic and very cryptic expression before talking. He first recaps what was said in our previous discussion about me having prophecies, largely for Miriel’s sake. He then finally gets to the point.
“While I was looking up the prophecies in question I found some more out. It says Eleanor has companions, those are Ginny and Miriel, as well as you each having some animal companion of some sort though I have yet to decipher what sort or what is really going on there yet.”
“The other things I have discovered is that to compensate for your humanity, Ginny, the Valar have granted you the lifespan of the Dunedan and everything that goes with it. One thing I would advise is that you are all very careful when experimenting and therefore learning how to use your powers.”
Once I get over the shock of this pronouncement, I look around at my ‘companions’. Miriel at least has the vaguely sensible shocked expression, but Ginny must have lost her mind as she looks delighted at her increased Sue-ness.
I make a mental note to take her aside and explain that becoming a Mary-Sue is a bad thing, and though I am far from averse to her having a greatly increased lifespan with a greatly slowed aging, that she should not throw a party at becoming a Sue.
When we leave we are discussing our animal companions.
“I want a panther.” I state. Ginny of course has to answer this.
“I want also want a panther, but with Merlin markings.” In other words she wants the big cat version of her pet silver tabby.
“Err, what?” This is Miriel’s contribution to the conversation and we realise that she will never have come across the big cat family and so we set about explaining the big fluffy darlings to the deprived one, sorry Miriel.
This conversation takes us all the way through to dinner, which is a private family affair on one of the many balconies. Erestor and Glorfindel are also there, and the look on Erestor’s face when we tell him about the news concerning Ginny’s new lifespan is a world-class Kodak moment. Everyone else is of course delighted and some sort of booze is brought out to celebrate and, despite all common sense, none of us hold back much.
Soon our lessons start again, as Ginny and I still have to get acclimatised, and Miriel joins us for the hell of it as far as I can work out. Though I do think there is another reason she joins in our afternoon fighting lessons, which last most of the afternoon, as Elrond wants us able to look after ourselves ASAP because the prophecy makes it clear that we will be doing a lot of travelling in the near-ish future and it doesn’t look like we will be taking a royal escort with us.
Several nights later I wake up rather earlier than usual and am rather more awake than usual. So I decide to go out of my room and explore Rivendell at night.
First problem is clothes. I cannot go out in my nightdress and I need help dressing in any of the dresses provided for me here. Then I have a brainwave.
In my pack is a crimson cocktail dress I had packed for the same reason as I had jewellery and makeup. It is a halter neck and leaves a fare amount of skin bare at the top and the hem is a pixie cut varying in length from just above the ankles to about mid-calf length. It is made of gossamer with a wide satin waistband, which is also the fabric that the underskirt/lining is made of – I absolutely love it.
For a moment I hesitate, not sure if it would be improper for me to wear it here and then I remember the ball gown from the other night and decide that it is not much worse.
I slip on a pair of red satin slippers, provided to go with one of my other dresses and a shawl I brought with me, and then I go explore this little piece of paradise.
After a little while of walking around I find a lovely lawn, some way from the house, surrounded with flower beds that even at night have many beautiful blooms open.
I suddenly get the urge to dance, probably because of the twirl value of the dress and slip off the shawl and slippers before spinning into the middle of the lawn and dancing away to tunes I either hum or sing to accompany myself.
I only half notice the dawn, but soon fling myself to the ground to rest a little. I hold up the pendant round my neck and for the first time actually see what Elrond was talking about when he told me about the Dawnstar pendant. It is truly amazing to watch the double dawn, one real and the other in my necklace.
The enjoyment of watching the strange phenomenon brings back all my energy and I get up and start dancing again and I totally forget the world around me.
I am only brought back to it when I hear someone join in my rendition of Lord of the Dance and then someone else spins me into his arms and dances with me.
When we stop, I realise it is Elrond who is dancing with me and Ginny is the person singing, not that the latter is really a surprise.
My nephew, hell that is still really weird, hugs me before whispering in my ear that I managed to worry Rodwen when I didn’t even leave a note.
I laugh and sit down on the lawn next to where I left my shoes and shawl. It is only then that I notice the presence of the rest of my family as well as my best friends and a dark haired beauty I don’t recognise, but can take a pretty good guess at who she is. There are also two other strangers, a lady with lovely long blond hair and a silver haired elf-lord. One look is enough to tell me that they are both ancient and noble. I think I can guess who they are too. The main question is when did they get here?
Elrond talks to a servant before sitting down beside me and doing the introduction.
“This is my great aunt, commonly known as Eleanor and her best friend Ginny, Erestor’s ward. You already know of, but have never met, Miriel, Princess of Mirkwood. Eleanor, Ginny, Miriel, this is my daughter Arwen and my parents-in-law, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.”
We nod and greet the famed elves politely, admittedly rather awed by their presence. I also am rather embarrassed by the nature of our first meeting. To cover this I ask the question that floated in my mind from the moment I realised who they were. Elrond smiles and laughs when I ask.
“They arrived yesterday evening; I deliberately made sure you three didn’t know they were here because I wanted to surprise you, it worked rather spectacularly actually.” Apparently the twins’ sense of humour is hereditary.
Soon it becomes clear what Elrond wanted to talk to a servant about. Several servants bring breakfast to us on the lawn, which I discover is rather enjoyable.
To my total lack of surprise their visit is to do with me, and of course there is the fact that Galadriel is the authority on prophecy.
Much to my pleasure, all three happily accept all three of us as part of the family and no one else seems worried about my revealing dress or my bare footedness.
Though all three of them radiate power and grace and all things elfin, they are some of the nicest people I could hope to meet and they all seem to share my fondness of hugging, though that may have been to make me feel more comfortable in their presence.
After breakfast, I go to wash and change into something more appropriate and dwell on the exact reason for their visit, which has yet to be fully revealed. I hope they stay a while, I like them.
Ginny’s POV
Oh Miriel, dear sweet Miriel. Do you know, I think her letter might have been one of the few times she has actually told her father what she really thinks of him.
Obviously I have no idea what her mother was like, but the way she was ticking her father off for not being very ‘honourable’ with Ellie and I sounds like something Myrwen would have said.
Whilst Miriel was reciting her letter, I was smiling kindly, but Ellie had an unreadable expression. This was soon explained when Miriel skipped off to send her letter,
“Don’t you think that letter’s a bit naive?” Ellie whispers. I shrug,
“Possibly, I’m just glad Miriel is finally standing up to her father’s ways.” Ellie nods, smirking suddenly,
“Mind you, I wouldn’t mind seeing Thanduil’s reaction, which I imagine will be particularly explosive, especially after the way we left!”
***
It’s now the afternoon and Maedhren has called us girls together for another little ‘chat’. He’s wearing his cryptic expression again, which generally means he has something big to tell us.
I get really interested and excited when Maedhren mentions ‘animal companions’ and immediately start thinking about mine. Obviously, it’s going to have to be a cat of some sort. Cats are my all time favourite animal; there is one in particular which I love to pieces – I wonder if they have silver tabbies here in Middle Earth...
“The other things I have discovered is that to compensate for your humanity, Ginny, the Valar have granted you the lifespan of the Dunedan and everything that goes with it...”
Maedhren then says something boring and to be honest, quite parent-like, about being ‘very careful when experimenting’, but I’m not really paying any attention – who would when they’ve just been told that their lifespan has gone from a paltry 80 or so years to nearer 300?
I smile very broadly.
I still am when we leave and discuss what type of animals we each want.
I’ve taught Ellie well, her immediate reaction is to say ‘panther’. I also want a panther, but only a very special type of panther. Miriel, on the other hand, looks very nonplussed to hear us say this. The poor girl has never heard of cats, she really has not lived.
***
After dinner, I want to go to my room to get some pictures of my cat to show Miriel, but Erestor calls me over. He takes my hands and says proudly,
“As you are now officially my ward, there are two things I have for you. One is your new name; it has been decided that from now on, your full name and title will be Lady Virginia Nestawen of Imladris. ‘Nestawen’ roughly translates as ‘lady healer’ and I thought it was rather appropriate given what you studied at university. The second; come with me.”
He leads me to his private quarters.
Erestor unlocks a cabinet and takes out a beautiful box made of a pinkish wood with an intricate Celtic-knot relief carved all over it and a golden catch. He stands me in front of a full-length mirror and tells me to close my eyes.
I feel him place something on the top of my head. When I open my eyes I gasp for I’m wearing an exquisite silver coronet. At the front is a petite triangular Celtic-knot, the sides are twisted into a vine pattern, and at the back is a larger version of the front knot. As I move my head, the light catches the glimmer of tiny diamonds embedded all over the metal.
As I look at myself, I feel my eyes going moist – Erestor smiles,
“It was my mother’s, she gave it to me before she sailed. I’d... I’d like you to have it.”
I turn and fling my arms around him, hugging him hard. As he returns the embrace, he lays his head on top of mine and whispers,
“I’d also like you to start calling me Ada as that’s what I am now.” In response I just nestle into his arms, sighing.
I wander back to my rooms, hugging my precious cargo. Miriel and Ellie are there waiting.
“Ginny! Where did you get to? Hey, what’s that box?” Ellie points to the box in my arms.
“Just a little gift from Ere... Ada.”
“Do show us!” Miriel jumps up from the sofa and, taking the box, lays it on the table, and begins to undo the clasp.
“Hey! That’s mine – I shall be the one to show you.” Gently, I move Miriel out of the way and open the box. Both girls give me the same reaction as I had to Ada when he first showed me the coronet.
Ellie and Miriel look on reverently as I proudly show them every detail.
“Miriel, do the elves have many balls or parties? I mean is there a regular occasion, like a birthday or something? Because I’m going to wear this to the very next ball there is.”
“Not really, I’m afraid. We only celebrate our age when we mature – after that it gets a bit pointless. Don’t worry though, the Imladris elves have a reputation for parties, I’m sure we’ll find something to celebrate in suitable style.”
***
We’re being trained even harder now as Maedhren has begun hinting that Ellie, Miriel, and I won’t be in Rivendell for very much longer.
We’ve all improved greatly; though Miriel has an unfair advantage in having learned the basics of long knives and bow usage before.
Surprisingly, I’ve appeared to have over taken Ellie in the sword fighting stakes. Seriously, I seem to have quite a talent for it. I’ve even managed to best Glorfindel once or twice, but whether, as Ellie took great pains to point out, that that was just because he let me, I don’t know (bloody great acting if that was the case).
***
Eama has just come into my room to wake me when there is a frantic knocking at my door. Eama opens the door to Rodwen, who comes in looking worried,
“Have you seen the Aranel?”
“No... why?”
“She’s... gone... I went in to wake her and all I found was an empty bed with her nightdress upon it. What if she’s run away?”
“I highly doubt she’s done that, Rodwen. She’s probably just exploring somewhere.”
“At the crack of dawn?”
I have to admit that this is highly unlike Ellie to get up so early. I’m still not worried, but I know Rodwen won’t let anyone rest until Ellie has been found.
On second thoughts, scrap not like Ellie, though she sleeps to a reasonable hour usually, she occasionally does get up ridiculously early and wonders off like this. It is one of her more irritating personality defects. Thankfully it is rarely noticed as she is usually back by the time normal people are getting up.
“OK, Rodwen you go and wake Lord Elrond and Eama, you help me search. We’ll be able to cover more ground that way.” As Rodwen rushes off, I slip into my dressing gown and a pair of satin slippers.
It isn’t long before I catch the strains of singing. I follow the sound and find myself at the edge of a large lawn, glistening with dew.
Ellie is dancing about the lawn’s centre, her eyes closed in pure contentment. She’s evidently oblivious to anything, as am I it would seem, for Elrond startles me by appearing most abruptly at my side. I wish elves would stop doing that.
I look round and notice a small group of elves standing to one side, three of them are strangers: two females, one blonde and one dark, and a stately looking elf-lord. The blonde female and the male seem to radiate wisdom and nobility, especially the female. The dark haired stranger has the same dancing eyes as Elladan and Elrohir – I think I can guess at who she is; and, by extension, who the other two are.
The blonde female seems to sense my gaze and her eyes flicker briefly towards mine. In that one moment I can feel her power; it’s rather daunting so I turn back to Ellie, who’s now singing The Lord of the Dance.
She looks so happy that I join her, accompanying her singing.
Elrond, who has followed me on to the lawn, takes Ellie in his arms and begins to spin her around and around.
When we’ve all finished dancing and singing, the rest of the party join us upon the grass and Elrond introduces the strangers.
“This is my great aunt, commonly known as Eleanor and her best friend Ginny, Erestor’s ward. You already know of, but have never met, Miriel, Princess of Mirkwood. Eleanor, Ginny, Miriel, this is my daughter Arwen and my parents-in-law, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.”
All three smile and nod when Elrond mentions their names. I can’t take my eyes off Galadriel, she’s so beautiful and graceful, not to mention legendary. I know it’s rude, but I can’t seem to help myself. Galadriel must know I keep looking at her, but she doesn’t say anything, she simply smiles softly.
We all have breakfast out on the lawn. I don’t know how Ellie’s feeling, but I can’t help feeling slightly awkward in my long nightdress so I’m rather glad when the meal is over and I can go back to bathe and dress.
Before we leave though, Ellie goes round hugging each new elf. They return her embrace warmly and then look expectantly at me.
Somewhat embarrassed, I go up to each in turn and hug them gently.
When I reach Galadriel, she lays her slender arms about me, clasping me to her. I hear her voice in my head,
“There’s no need to fear me, Ginny.” I start slightly, I didn’t think telepathy really existed, despite what the films and books say.
I return her gaze; her laughing eyes relax me and I smile – despite her timeless beauty and power, Galadriel really is very kind indeed.
____________________________

Author note, if you want to see the red dress you can see it at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gauiscaecilius/2724280408/in/set-72157606495119735/ this is my dad’s flickr account.