The Moon Druid of Arcedia; And the One Ring to Rule Them All

~08 Familiar Friends Form a Fellowship~

Familiar Friends Form a Fellowship

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Fair warning, it's a long one.  Trying to shorten the Council of Elrond from its 15,000 words was a nightmare!!!  A lot of it after is important lore stuff which Is why it's included so I tried to blend it in with the movie scene as best as I could.

I will not feel bad if you just skim through this chapter. (I actually recommend it for your sanity.)

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Elrond stood patiently as he watched the council members chat with those of their fellow race amidst the crescent chairs. A warm breeze flowed through his silver robe and brought the fresh scent of orange blossoms onto the open plaza. He smoothed a long brown hair back towards its braided brethren so it sat neatly beneath the silver circlet as he gazed at two unoccupied chairs.

The council meeting should have started 20 minutes ago (and indeed much talk of current events transpired) however they were waiting for the tardy member, a certain amber-haired elf. Strider had left to find his sister. It didn't take long, he knew exactly where she was.

Ahshala had spent her morning, and evidently her afternoon roaming through arches of emerald ivy and bows of periwinkle wisteria which blossomed above her. She tended to the garden and all its inhabitants with joy. Many of the flowers she saw were gifts she had given to Lady Arwen, seeds she had brought from her home in hopes of new life and love. They all thrived, well almost all. In the back of the garden, Ahshala noticed the droopy leaves of a fiddle-leaf fig. Ahshala thought fickle-leaf fig was a more fitting name considering it was in her experience the hardest plant to keep alive. Every fiddle leaf she had ever taken care of demanded a constant routine, a specific amount of sunlight (not too much, not too little), a strict watering schedule that still seemed to upset it, and not to mention the light daily misting she found it enjoyed.

She was tending to this temperamental fig when she heard the quick strides of Strider behind her. She continued to breathe life into leaves when he called her name.

"Ahshala, the mee.."

He didn't need to finish. She stood straight up and finished his sentence.

The meeting! The incredibly important council meeting that they had traveled to Rivendell for! How could she have forgotten? Well, she had not entirely forgotten she had a commitment; She had a vague sense that she was forgetting something all morning. She had eaten breakfast, made the bed, painted another layer of her watercolor, wrote in her botany journal, and even organized and replenished her messy healer's kit, and walked through the gardens all before noon. Now she knew why she felt uneasy.

She ran alongside Strider to the pavilion.

"If anyone could find a way to be late to their funeral it would be you!"

Ahshala laughed heartily at his jest. He wasn't wrong, she would find a way.

Legolas heard the thump of the ranger and druid feet as they neared the marble pavilion amid his conversation with the other officials of Mirkwood who accompanied him to Rivendell and Lord Elrond. They had discussed the traveling party's tardiness due to an unexpected orc attack and exchanged pleasantries but the Druid was more important than all these. He had turned towards her happily as she called his name to give her a proper elven greeting when she thrust her arms around her neck and pressed her right cheek against his, the elven male's platinum locks fell forward and tickled her small nose.

He was stunned and had no idea what to do with his arms. He held them close to his body, his wide sleeves falling almost like a wing, from his tucked arms. Yes, his arms looked like chicken wings close to his side. His face flushed at the thought.