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ELAMIR HAD TROUBLE SLEEPING THAT NIGHT. Her brother spoke no more, and Aragorn kept to himself on the other side of the camp. She ate dinner with the Hobbits, who always seemed to be gracious and welcoming despite the trying times. But as the fire began to smolder and the Fellowship fell into a deep sleep, her eyes did not veil like the stars above. Perhaps it was worry for Boromir. Perhaps it was Aragorn's embittered words not hours before. Perhaps it was the pack of Uruk-hai tracking their every movement from the eastern shore. Whatever it was, it protested against her rest.
She nodded off some time in the early hours before dawn, but Legolas woke her just as she fell into a light slumber. Elamir rubbed the sleep from her eyes and quietly packed her things. She pulled on the ankle-length leather Gondorian jacket that covered her tunic and topped her garb with the Elven cloak from Lord Celeborn. She strapped her sword around her waist, helped the Hobbits clean up camp, and the company was on its way once more.
Elamir chatted with Legolas and Gimli in their canoe as the trio glided down the crystal river. She expressed to them her concerns and they listened attentively. She repeatedly glanced over at her brother's canoe, but he would not meet her gaze. He kept his head low... eyes locked on the rippling water. They rowed down the River Anduin through cavernous tunnels and towering walls. The beauty of Middle Earth continued to astound Elamir with every stroke of the oar. But nothing could have prepared her for the magnificence of the Argonath.
Soaring stone figures as high as the clouds rose from the mountains. The details of their expressions... the folding of their cloth was all carved in stone. Elamir had longed to see the pillars of kings— great monuments to Gondor— since the days of her studies. They stood with hands extended, warning the enemies of what used to be Gondor that there was a price of entry. Gondor's border had receded far beyond where the Argonath stood in these dark times. But oh, how the princess loved her country. The great history and care with which every totem was created gave her such pride.
Her eyes fluttered across Boromir and Aragorn's canoes, noting the wonder in their gazes. It made the corners of her lips shoot upward in a delicate smile. The Fellowship continued to skim across the water. They passed by the feet of the large statues so that when Elamir gazed upwards, their heads seemed to pierce the sky itself. And as the Gates of Argonath receded into the fog once more, Elamir bid the forefathers of her kingdom goodbye.
The Falls of Rauros laid beyond the Argonath. The sweeping river led into the rapid waterfall. Knowing better than to go any farther and risk being swept out to open sea, the company opted to dock on the shores of the western bank. The feeling of the canoe scratching along the gravel beach was euphoric after a long day of rowing. Elamir stood up and stretched her arms before climbing out of the boat. She helped Gimli, reluctant to take her hand. After looking around the shore and line of trees, she decided this would do.
