The twins opened the door quietly and peered into the room. Each lady appeared to be resting peacefully, and so they shut the door and decided to take some time to think on the roof, their favorite place to find peace and quiet.
"Are you awake?" Cel asked after the door was shut. She waited for a response before asking again.
"Not really," Alatariel laughed, "but I am now!"
"I promised Haldir we would find a way to bring Zhie . . . I mean, Galádë back to him."
Alatariel sat straight up in bed. "Why did you go and do that?" she asked. "Elves take oaths very seriously!"
"He was so very sad and I had to do something," Cel responded. "Galadriel told us we could remain here or return to our world, so there must be a way to go back. We can go to Wisconsin and find her and then bring her back again! Should we go ask Galadriel how we do that?"
"Oh, yeah, right. We will just walk right up and say, 'Hey, we want to leave for a while. Can you tell us how?' That will go over really well." Alatariel crossed her arms. "Besides, don't you think they already thought about doing that?"
"Maybe they don't know where Wisconsin is. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure where Milwaukee is. Do they even have an airport?" asked Cel. Alatariel shrugged. "Well, we could just tell Galadriel the truth. She will know anyway because she gets in my head, and I know she's there," Cel stated.
"She gets into my head, too. We must tell her the truth, even if it is only to avoid pissing her off. Remember that whole ring thing and her transition to the scary person? I wouldn't want her mad at me, that's for sure," Alatariel said nervously.
"Okay, so when we do talk to her," Cel said, "you can do all the talking."
"Me?" squeaked Alatariel.
As if on cue there was a knock at the door. "Come in, Lady Galadriel," Alatariel said, knowing the lady had heard their whole conversation in her mind.
"You are getting better at using your gifts," Galadriel answered, entering the room.
"Have you heard most of what we discussed?" Cel asked nervously.
"Of course," Galadriel smiled. "But I do not do it on purpose. My gifts are strong, and you have yet to build barriers to keep your thoughts to yourselves. I would also like to state for the record that the transition to the scary person was highly exaggerated." Both of the ladies blushed, and Galadriel added, "I appreciate your concern for Haldir. All of us do."
"We just want to see him happy. Shouldn't we do everything we can to reunite them? Doesn't Haldir deserve to have a second chance to bond with his beloved Galádë?" Cel asked.
"For someone who wanted Alatariel to do the talking, you seem to have found your voice," Galadriel teased. Then, more seriously she added, "Of course I wish to see my son happy and to be with the one he loves. It pains me to see him frown as he watches the happiness that surrounds him. When he failed to make contact with her, I myself tried to speak with her and felt nothing. Until your sudden arrival, I feared her lost. I still do not know whether to believe that she can be brought back. Even with all you have told us, we cannot be sure she is even still alive."
"We arrived here on the shores, so that must mean there is a way to find her and bring her here," Alatariel said. "She has to be alive. This is too big a coincidence. It is as if someone wants her to be found."
"Perhaps, but I assure you that Legolas and the twins will not like you going off to find her alone. All I will say is that you must speak with Erestor regarding this."
"Erestor? Why Erestor? For further advice?" questioned Alatariel, recalling this to be the elf who served as Elrond's chief councilor.
"Tell him what has happened, and what you know. He will decide what is to happen now," said Galadriel. "I will say no more."
"No problem. Where do we find him?" Cel asked.
*~*~*~*~*~*
When the hunters returned in the afternoon, Galadriel told them of the desire Alatariel and Cel had to meet Master Erestor, and that Lord Elrond was not available to take them, due to a medicinal overdose. Orophin quickly handed his bow to his brother and headed to the barn to retrieve the carriage and horses.
"Erestor?" questioned Legolas, who stood holding a pair of ducks by their legs. "Why do you need to meet him - surely we could invite him here, he's just up the road?"
"We just want to meet everyone we've heard about here in Valinor," Cel said with a bright smile, wondering why Galadriel was suddenly acting so strangely. Legolas seemed to sense this, too. "We have read about all of you, and we want to know if everyone is as Tolkien described them, or if they are as Zhie has said." She decided not to mention that Tolkien never really said more than ten words about Erestor, as this most definitely would not help their cause.
"I'm coming along then," he said, handing the ducks to Rumil, who had his hands full already with an extra bow and a stag over his shoulder.
"Someone has to help me with this," complained Rumil, giving the shoulder with the deer a shrug as best he could.
"Orophin can stay and help, I'll drive the carriage," said Legolas.
"Orophin must go with them," stated Galadriel, and her voice, though it was not harsh, signaled this was the end of the matter. Legolas grabbed the ducks away from Rumil and headed to the house. "Temper like his father," mumbled Galadriel as Orophin came up the path from the barn, leading two black horses attached to a small wooden carriage.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Why are they in such a hurry?" groused Legolas. Rumil said nothing as they entered the house. "Why does she want to go running off like that?" Rumil still said nothing. "Why aren't you saying anything, Rumil?"
"Because I'm trying to form my response carefully, Legolas." Rumil deposited the bows in the hall and walked through the house, out the front door, and down the porch toward the birch tree with Legolas following after him. "I don't want to insult you with my opinion."
"What is your opinion, Rumil?"
Rumil took a length of rope from his belt after setting the deer on the grass. "I think," he said, tying the rope to the animal's legs before throwing it over a sturdy branch, "that you are in love."
Legolas said nothing as he took hold of the loose end of the rope and hoisted the deer into the air. "What if I am?"
"If you are," said Rumil as he used his knife to slit the stag's throat, "I'd say it's about damn time," he answered as he looked up with a grin.
Legolas smiled back. "I suppose it is," he replied.
*~*~*~*~*~*
When the carriage stopped, both Cel and Alatariel jumped up and opened the door before Orophin could stop them. "Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked. He'd not been told exactly why they were coming to see Erestor, but he knew exactly why he was being sent along. To most, Erestor was a simple Noldo, living in peace and quiet atop a cliff with his good friend, a Vanya named Glorfindel. He and his brothers joked about the small cottage surrounded by an immense growth of bushes and flowers to be the First Homely Retirement House, but of his siblings, only he knew why it was that Erestor lived in near solitude.
"We have read all about everyone and wish to see if they are like Tolkien describes them." Cel answered.
"And now the real reason?" questioned Orophin. The door to the cottage opened before any more could be said.
Erestor came out of the house smiling, long black hair shining and longer and more glorious than they had seen on any elf thus far. "Mae govannen. Welcome to my home," he said quietly as they approached. "Lady Galadriel has saved you the trouble of an explanation, and so I have been expecting all of you. Come," he motioned toward the door. "There is tea on the table and I believe Glorfindel has cakes prepared for us." He held out his hands to them, and each lady took one and was led inside.
"It is good you were the one to bring them, or I may have thought I was called upon only to advise," the same soft voice said, addressing Orophin, who walked behind them and closed the door.
"Legolas was insistent upon coming," answered Orophin.
"He knows they are up to something," Erestor nodded. "I do not think one more would have burdened the carriage."
"I did not risk your secret, my lord," Orophin said.
"He will know everything soon enough. So will the peredhil twins, for the ladies will know and cannot yet keep secret their thoughts."
"I'm sorry, but what in the world are we discussing? Or not discussing?" questioned Cel. They were led to the back of the cottage and out onto a bricked patio where an elf with thick golden hair half-plaited down his back sat lounging in something that resembled a hammock while he read a scroll. "Lord Glorfindel?" Cel's jaw dropped as the elf responded by sitting up and smiling at the guests. "This is just so exciting!"
"Please, if you must address me, just Fin is fine," he answered, and though he spoke in perfect Westron, he had a heavy accent that could only be described as being Elvish. "Come and have something to eat before the tea cools," he suggested, and stood to pull out a chair. Cel smiled and took the seat while Orophin pulled out a chair for Alatariel.
"You said Galadriel sent word as to why we have come?" questioned Alatariel as Erestor sat down after the rest had taken places around the table.
He put his finger to his lips and then said, "We can speak of that later. As Fin has said, we should eat before the tea is cold."
"Have you noticed," said Cel to Alatariel as she took a honey biscuit from the plate that was offered, "that everyone here wants us to either eat or sleep?"
"What's so bad about eating and sleeping?" questioned Orophin with a wink.