About to Depart

As night falls, Mobeorn sits by a small fire just outside the tent that has been set up here for the Beornings. He is by himself, poking the few logs with a stick and watching the flames. All through this day, though, he has been pacing and wondering out loud when the elves and Beornigns will leave--he is anxious to go.

[Cecilia(#23897)] Cecilia creeps over to the fire and sits down, her legs curled beneath her and the same fearful expression on her face that she\'s worn for days now. \"It\'s winter-time.. but.. it\'s not winter here. It should be colder, don\'t you think?\" She speaks in a hushed whisper.

Mobeorn looks up, a brief break from his perhaps annoyingly repetitive poking at the fire. \"We are further south here than our lands and not so hard by the mountains,\" he suggests with a slightly funny expression on his face as he considers Cecilia\'s words. \"Perhaps the seasons have not yet changed here.\"

Cecilia looks around, clearly not believing him. \"Look at the trees.. they never shed leaves, they look.. perfect.\" She shivers. \"It isn\'t natural. Where did the firewood come from?\" This naysaying is hardly a new trend for the young healer.

\"You could ask the Lady of the Golden Wood,\" Mobeorn suggests, trying to look serious, but his lips twitching with a smile. He looks up again to look at the healer\'s reaction. \"As for the wood, the elves supplied us with it. I wouldn\'t cut down their trees.\"

Cecilia shakes her head quickly. \"No.. I don\'t want to talk to her.\" She answers in a small voice, edging closer to the large man as she feels chills run through her. \"I\'m sorry, Mobeorn. I didn\'t mean to mess things up. I shouldn\'t have come and I feel terrible about it all. You should have gone on. I would have waited here.\"

\"Ah...well..\" Mobeorn shrugs and pokes at the fire. \"No harm done in the end, lass. They agreed to help us, didn\'t they? At least in some ways? So in the end, it made no difference.\"

Cecilia looks over at him, a concerned expression on her freckled face. \"It\'s my fault, though. Maybe they would be more helpful if I wasn\'t here.. \" She gazes at him with gray eyes as if searching for reassurance of that not being the case. Then, she goes on to ask, \"You\'ll still come to my wedding, won\'t you?\"

\"Of course I\'ll come to your wedding,\" Mobeorn laughs. \"Why wouldn\'t I...even if you /had/ done something wrong...which you hadn\'t. Just...don\'t make me dance.\" He growls.

Cecilia smiles in relief, relaxing immediately as if he just forgave all her poor behavior. \"Really? Oh.. I was so worried you might have changed your mind. Why don\'t you want to dance? It\'s fun!\" So quickly her concerns vanish and she\'s grinning openly, as if the wedding is the only important thing to the young woman.

\"It...\" Mobeorn stutters, looking for an answer. \"It\'s not dignified,\" is what he setles for, arms stubbornly crossed over his chest.

[Cecilia(#23897)] \"Not dignified? What do you mean? And since when did you care for such things?\" Cecilia asks, laughing for the first time since she\'s come into these accursed woods.

\"I mean I won\'t dance,\" Mobeorn insists. \"That\'s the final word on it.\"

[Cecilia(#23897)] \"But.. Everyone dances at a wedding. And.. Well.. I thought you might like to dance with me.\" She adds with a sidelong glance, her eyes adopting a sad expression. Cecilia clearly has too much practice twisting her brothers around her little finger.

Mobeorn frowns at that. \"If you can get the Laird to dance, then I\'ll dance. But you\'ll have to find someeone to teach me first, too.\"

[Cecilia(#23897)] \"Oh, I can teach you. Don\'t even worry. It\'s so easy.\" Cecilia grins, managing to forget where she is for a few minutes in front of the fire. \"And I\'ll make sure your date knows how to dance too. I bet she does.\" The healer ponders this, then reconsiders, \"Hmm.. maybe not.\"\"Date...\" Mobeorn grumbles about that, then gets to his feet. \"You goign to invite half the world to this, lass? The elves? dwarves? that harper from Bree?\" He laughs, shakes his head. \"I\'ll be right back,\" he says, moving away from the firelight and into the dark.

[Tinuriel(#23113)]  In the light breeze trees dance and weave shadows under the bright stars. An elf moves through the trees, grace and ease in her movements. Up the hill she climbs, watching the glow of the fire and listening to the strange accents of the Beornings\' voices. They are still outlandish enough to her that she needs to observe she stands just out of the reach of the flickering light. Some decision is made perhaps and she calls out in her musical language, \"Mae govannen.\"

Cecilia just grins, not denying his grumblings. \"You\'ll be a natural by the time I\'m done teaching you.\" She says with a small laugh, but moments later all the joy vanishes. Mobeorn is moving away and an elven voice is filling the air. She looks around sharply, her eyes wide with fear as she speaks out the speaker. Is it the Lady of the Wood returned?! The healer dreads the worst.

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

Tinuriel catches the movement of fear and holds still before pushing back her hood. Her hair is a deep shadow over the nebulous gray of her cloak, her face a faint pale gleam. Solemnly and slowly she holds up the burden she carries to avoid startling the strangers further.

Cecilia looks on the hooded elven woman with something akin to terror, and it eases only slightly when she realizes this is not Galadriel. The healer shoots a quick glance in the direction that Mobeorn disappeared, then turns her gaze back to the stranger. \"Hello..\" She breathes, realizing she\'s alone by the fire and no one else will greet this elf.

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

The elf maiden, gray eyes wide, studies her with the frankness of a child. She nods to her kindly and repeats the word, \"Hel-lo,\" and places the bag she is carrying on the ground in front of her and opens the top. Once she looks up at the woman to assure herself that she is not frightening her. She removes a wineskin from the bag and holds it up.

[Cecilia(#23897)] \"You do not speak the Westron tongue.. do you?\" Cecilia asks. She\'s starting to relax now that she\'s certain that this isn\'t Galadriel, but still seems uneasy. She glances for Mobeorn again, but he\'s still gone. \"I don\'t know Sindarin..\" The healer explains.

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

A faint smile gleams on her face and the elf tilts her head listening carefully to the woman\'s voice. \"Tinuriel,\" she replies laying her white hand on her breast.

Cecilia looks at the elf in confusion, \"Tinu.. riel?\" She repeats slowly, then shakes her head. \"I don\'t know what you\'re saying, I\'m sorry. Mobeorn.. he speaks your language.\" She sounds nervous and searches the treeline again for the Beorning.

Mobeorn comes rambling back into the light now, long piece of straw in one hand. \'Well, hello,\' he greets the elf, no trace of fear in that at all. \'Are you a messenger from the lady?\' Then he frowns and repeats that, at least it might seem so from the sound of his tone in both languages. \" Are you a messenger from the Lady?\"

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

Hearing Sindarin brings a smile to the elf maiden\'s lips and she makes a small reverence to the Beorning replying in the same language, \"In a manner of speaking, I was asked to bring wine for your pleasure. I am Tinuriel of the vintners.\"

[<#23897>] Cecilia breathes easier when the tall northman returns, sighing in relief as he takes over conversing with the elf. She stands and quickly moves to stand by his side, as if the elven woman is going to attack. \"What is she saying?\" The healer asks in a whisper.

\"Ah!\" Mobeorn smiles to the elleth. \"She\'s a vin...erm...a wine lady,\" he grins broadly at Tinuriel. \"The Lady sent wine for us, and she\'s here to bring it. With luck it\'s honey wine?\" he tilts his head to the elf, forgetting, apparently, that she speaks no Westron. \"Mead?\"

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

Repeating the word badly, \"Meed?\" she shakes her head not understanding and walks over to the Beorning with the wineskin extended to him. \"Wine,\" she says in Sindarin.

Cecilia watches the exchanges in silence, eying the elf as if she might suddenly sprout horns and wings. The healer is so out of character in the golden wood. Normally she\'s quite sweet. She eases around behind Mobeorn when the elf approaches.

\" Mead, aye,\" Mobeorn repeats the word, but in Sindarin. \" Honey wine.\" He reaches for the wineskin, hesitating to take it. \'Do ya think it\'s an animal skin?\' he frowns suddenly to Cecilia, licking his lips in concern. \" Uh...\" he fumbles in Sindarin, looking uncertain now.

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

Tinuriel shakes her head at the woman\'s fear, faintly offended that she moves away from her. \"No, not honey wine but you may like it,\" she replies. She raises an eyebrow at the woman.

[<#23897>] Cecilia appears stricken when the Beorning asks her the question and she shakes her head quickly. \" Don\'t touch it! It\'s from the witch and who knows what it could be! She wasn\'t happy about our being here.\" Her words are quick and nervous, and she casts another suspicious glance at Tinuriel.

\" Oh...uh...I\'m sure we\'ll like the wine, thank you....\" Mobeorn struggles to not insult their elven hosts, and yet the Beorning seems particularly reluctant to reach out and actually touch the wineskin. Politeness seems to win out, though, and he reaches out takes the wineskin, touching it only with two of his large fingers, as if it is distasteful to hold. And yet, there is an oddly polite smile on his face. \" Thank you,\" he says again, then sniffs the air, as if trying to smell something ....though his nose is pointed down toward the wineskin.

[Elladan(#27059)] The sudden appearance of Elladan is silent. He comes along the path that leads up to the hill and his feet are bare on the green grass. \"Good even,\" he speaks in the Common tongue, and immediately adds in Elvish: \"Is anything amiss? I see discomfort in our guests\' eyes.\"

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

His reluctance is not lost on her and Tinuriel says gently, \"We would not bring you...we would not offend. It is bark. It is a gift from the Lady and she would not offend you,\" she repeats more coolly.

[<#23897>] Cecilia shrinks back as Mobeorn touches the skin, looking disgusted. \" That is horrid.\" She says, shuddering, then adds in an indignant tone. \" I\'m not drinking that.\" The healer draws away from her countryman and moves back towards the fire.

[Halla(#30997)] A woman emerges from the Beorning tent, squinting toward the fire. Halla\'s hair is newly washed and combed, and carefully arranged in a braid that is only a little squint. Into it a couple of the niphredil flowers have been woven for decoration. Her face, too, is newly scrubbed, and her clothes - well, she can\'t do much about her travel-stained garments, but her shirt is clean, if rather creased. She moves hesitantly toward the little group, head cocked as though listening.

\'Oh, it\'s bark!\' Mobeorn says with much relief in his voice. He immediately takes a swig of the wine,grins, and hands the wineskin back toward Cecilia and Halla. \" But how did you get bark to look like that?\" he continues, puzzled, to Tinuriel. A nod to acknowledge Elladan, then, and he explains, \" we, uh, thought it was skin...that, well, never mind. It\'s all cleared up now.\"

[<#27059>] Elladan tilts his head. \" We would not ****** you in that way, Mobeorn. The elves of Lothlorien may live ******** and ********* but they still know how to treat their guests. Enjoy this night, for few only will you have under the mallorn trees until we depart back to the north.\"

[<#23897>] Cecilia isn\'t touching that wine, not for anything. She shakes her head faintly when Mobeorn offers it, then looks to Elladan, frowning. She has no idea what\'s being said and her attention wanders to Halla. The healer smiles suddenly in surprise, moving over to her and touching her hair. \" Oh Halla! That\'s lovely! Let me rebraid it for you!\"

[Halla(#30997)] Halla, arriving at the fire, peers at Mobeorn. \"You\'re drinking ... bark?\" Her tone is incredulous, and her expression rather less than eager - she doesn\'t reach to take the wineskin. \"Uh, good evening,\" she adds to the two Elves in the Common speech. At Cecilia\'s comment her new-scrubbed cheeks redden. \"I ... well, the Elf women always look so pretty, and I .. uh, suppose it\'s only polite, isn\'t it?\" She looks rather embarrassed. \"I can\'t seem to get the braiding straight, though. Would you?\"

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

Tinuriel steps back with a small pleased nod. She gives a quick, graceful courtesy to Galadriel\'s grandson and steps further back into the shadows away from the fire after acknowledging the other woman with a brief smile.

With neither Cecilia nor Halla accepting the wine, Mobeorn tilts the wineskin up to his own lips again. \'You can\'t drink bark. The wineskin is bark,\' he says, rolling his eyes at the women.

The Beorning man then hands the wineskin toward Elladan. \'I\'m afraid I missed some of what you said--the Laird is better at your tongue than I am. But my apologies--I ought to have known that you folk wouldn\'t ever insult your guests, not even by accident.\' Then, \'when do we leave?\' And a quick glance to Halla and Cecilia, worried.

\" And what about the humans here? The Lord Celeborn said something about...their not having a memory of this place. That the folk of the wood would take care of that...\"

[<#23897>] Cecilia is already reaching to unravel the sloppy braids before Halla gives permission. She speaks softly to the woman, \" I have to teach Mobeorn how to dance, before the wedding. He doesn\'t know how, but.. you do, right?\" The healer casts another glance at the elves, but it doesn\'t linger. \" I wish we could leave.\"

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

The elven maid approaches the two women slowly, a faint smile brushes her lips as she watches one help the other rebraid her hair. Her own dark hair is caught back from the brow in intricate loops braided with crystals that gleam in the starlight. She touches her own hair in silence with one hand and lifts her other hand palm up asking permission to touch one of the woman\'s undone braids.

[Elladan(#27059)] \"It is for the forest elves to decide our departure,\" replies Elladan in Westron. \"They are scouting the river and its opposite bank, once they deem it safe, we shall leave.\" The last words are said into Cecilia\'s direction.

[Halla(#30997)] Halla snorts back at Mobeorn. \"You never know. Some folk have funny customs ... that is, no offence,\" she adds quickly as she glances in Elladan\'s direction, given he is now the nearer of the Elves. \"So what is it then? They don\'t have mead here.\" She does /try/ not to scowl as Mobeorn\'s burst of foreign speech assails her ears, but doesn\'t quite manage it.

At Cecilia\'s words she herself slips into her native tongue, twisting round to frown at the girl. \"I really don\'t think that\'s a good idea. He doesn\'t even like me - keeps muttering when I\'m around. Maybe someone else ...?\" She lets the words trail off as Tinuriel approaches. \"Your hair is much nicer than mine,\" she says aloud in Common, with a rueful little twist to her lips, neither agreeing to nor denying the request.

The sun rises over the trees, flashing on the leaves of the mellyrn.

\'Good, good,\' Mobeorn nods quickly to Elladan, then gives a shifty-eyed glance to the two Beorning women. \" These woods are a thing of beauty and peace, but it is leading these two here to plot to teach me to dance!\" he gasps out. Then, growing more serious, Mobeorn adds, \'and the threat grows in Mirkwood. Every day we spend in beauty here is a day that evil spreads there.\'

[<#23897>] Cecilia glances first to Elladan, that wary fear returning to her face again, as if each moment longer in the beautiful woods is tormenting her. \'Oh.. thank you.\' She murmurs in embarrassment. Then her gray eyes go to Tinuriel and as the elven woman moves closer to them the healer backs away, abandoning Halla\'s hair. \" She doesn\'t understand. She only speaks her elven tongue.\" Then the Beorning continues in a fearful whisper, \" She reminds me of the witch-.. the.. ah.. Lady.\" Ceci glances quickly over at Elladan to see if he heard, nervous.

[<#27059>] Elladan smiles faintly at Cecilia. \" And have you yet been bewitched? If sorcerers and witches dwelt in this wood, would you not have been enchanted long ago or turned into a foul creature? Judge this yourself, Cecilia.\"

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

No denial given, Tinuriel takes it for assent and she bends over the woman to gently separate the lock of hair. She interrupts herself to spread her hands in a liquid gesture of courtesy to show no harm meant to the fearful woman, careful to keep whatever opinion she may have of the unwarranted fear to herself. She takes up a lock of hair and begins to interwine the strands in quick, precise weaving.

[Halla(#30997)] Halla\'s gaze flicks up toward Mobeorn as he comes out with more of the unknown tongue, then shrugs, seemingly dismissing the matter of the wineskin.

Cecilia\'s retreat takes her completely by surprise. \"She\'s only an elf,\" is all the answer she manages before Elladan speaks. \"Uh ... I /like/ this wood,\" she mumbles in his direction, shamefaced. \"Just I never did understand Elves. All that singing and words and stuff ...\" She gives a typical Halla snort - whatever magic this place has worked on her, it has not improved her tact. Belatedly she seems to realize her hair is being braided, and gives Tinuriel a smile before demanding of Elladan, \"Please tell her - um, thank you.\"

Mobeorn falls silent, watching the women working on the braiding. \"Well...better than talk of dancing,\" he mutters to himself. \"I think...\" he then continues to the group in general, but with a glance to Elladan, that the next time we are under threat, council should be held in our lands, perhaps? And..well, did you get to speak your piece, Herion? I\'m afraid that Galharth and I didn\'t not do justice to the trouble at hand, not having heard your full report.\"

Cecilia hears Elladan\'s words, but it\'s difficult to believe when her friends are all acting so.. happy and cheerful and infatuated with trees that never shed leaves and flowers growing in the winter and where is the -snow-?! The healer gives him a long gaze, her expression tormented, and she looks away. Too perfect. Lorien is too perfect. Plus? Galadriel was glowing in the dark. That\'s definitely not right!!

Cecilia says nothing. She only moves to sit before the fire again, silent.

[Elladan(#27059)] \"What needed be told has been told to the lord and lady of this land,\" relates Elladan. \"Volunteers may come to aid us with our struggle but the defense of this realm does not permit a whole army to march with us. Too many watchful are needed to keep Lothlorien safe from the Shadow.\"

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

The elven maiden continues her meticulous work, glancing up at times at the Beorning talking to Herion Elladan and at the other woman who chose to isolate herself. She shakes her head imperceptibly and purses her lips. With decision she undoes one of her own braids slipping the crystals off to finish the human woman\'s braid with them. She steps back to admire her work.

[Halla(#30997)] Halla listens to the menfolk\'s conversation in silence, sitting dreamily as her hair is braided. When Tinuriel steps back, she puts a hand up to her hair, gingerly touching the neat weaving. She smiles at the elf-maiden - then stops as her fingers touch the crystal. \"But you shouldn\'t,\" she bursts out in Common, whether the Elf can understand her or not. \"It must be so valuable - that is, it\'s beautiful.\" Her cheeks redden in clear embarrassment as she pulls the braid round so she can see it better.

\'Yes, so said the lord of this place and your kin,\' Mobeorn nods to Elladan--the trinkets woven into Halla\'s hair draw his attention briefly as, like all things in this land--they are beautiful. \" But I don\'t understand why he said that--that if this place falls, much else will go with it. And why, well, why I am--my kind--being allowed to retain my memory of this place when those two women will not. Certainly, fear hinders one of them from rational thought.\" He grimaces toward Cecilia as he speaks.

[Cecilia(#23897)] The irony is that under normal circumstances, Cecilia would be having a fabulous time. She loves braiding (her own hair always getting ample attention) and has nothing against the elves.. persay. But the woods are what they are.

Cecilia continues hanging close to Mobeorn, listening to Elladan now. \"Then we should be moving, instead of staying here. If there won\'t be as much help as we had hoped, we need to make more preparations at home... What is that look for, Mobeorn?\"

[<#27059>] Elladan gives a wry look to Tinuriel. \" That one is less timid as you could see, and she thanks you for braiding her hair.\" Turning to the shapeshifter, he explains: \" It is that very fear that we would not have turn into worse feelings. Fear hinders the, from seeing the beauties of this land and upon their return they would only have to tell slander - and fearful details of Lothlorien, while we know that you, Mobeorn, can keep such ******** and hold them dear. And as to the import of this place: ask yourself, what else is there between Dol Guldur and the vales of the Anduin? If not for this place, the Enemy would long have conquered all of Mirkwood and the ********* would eat rotten flesh instead of honeycakes.\"

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

Tinuriel is startled by the tone of Cecilia\'s words. Steady gray eyes study the human a moment untils Elladan\'s word bring a smile to her face.

\"Thank you Herion,\" she murmurs. \"They are yours for the keeping, traveler, may they bring you joy when joy is needed.\" Addressing Elladan when he finishes speaking she asks, \"May she keep them?\"

[Halla(#30997)] Halla looks blank at the torrent of foreign speech. She seems to be pondering something, for she hesitates, biting her lip and glancing at the nervous Cecilia. But then she turns back to Tinuriel, holding in her hand some small object she has pulled from her belt pouch. \"I\'d like you to have this,\" she tells the elf-maiden with a genuine, and rather awe-struck, smile on her face.

\'This\' is a single wooden comb, the back carefully carved with a design of leaves, nuts and berries - brambles, perhaps? The decoration has been carefully stained with some natural dye, in muted reds and purples.

Halla extends it a little further, then points slowly and carefully to the elf\'s perfect dark hair, still smiling.

\'I understand,\' Mobeorn answers Elladan quietly. \'Fear breeds anger and that can be used to generate hatred. Though..\' he pauses, \" how will we explain to Halla how she wound up with an elven gem in her hair. And where her comb went.\" He smiles a bit. \" Little matters...but what else is there, but this place.\"

[<#27059>] \" Take it,\" says Elladan to the elven maid. \" Such exchange of gifts is well and should not be reverted. And she will have a nice tale to tell of how she found this gemstone when searching her comb that fell into a pond.\"

[<#23897>] Cecilia is getting such a small part of the conversation between Mobeorn and Elladan, and they both ignored her concerns. She frowns and her gaze drifts back to Tinuriel and Halla.. just soon enough to see the exchange. The young woman draws in a sharp breath of shock, and the words she speaks are barely above a whisper. \" She didn\'t.. she.. that.. \" The healer swallows hard to hold onto her composure, then after a flustered moment she moves for the tents, a hurt expression on her face.

[Tinuriel(#23113)]

The elf maiden bows her thanks, her gown and hair catching the firelight in liquid gleam. She places the comb with care into an inner pocket of her cloak and follows the other human with a bewildered frown as she leaves. With a small shrug she steps back into the shadows leaving her kindred and the humans to their conversation.

[Halla(#30997)] Halla watches in silence as Tinuriel leaves. She spares a single sharp glance for Cecilia\'s abrupt departure, and her clean-scrubbed cheeks turn a deep crimson. \"I - uh, I think I need to stretch my legs,\" she mumbles toward Mobeorn and Elladan. \"Going to take a few turns round the hill.\" And so she sets off, marching the bounds of their little encampment with the expression on her face slowly altering from bemusement to sad resignation.

Mobeorn\'s eyes arch at whatever Elladan has said to him, but he stays silent--not interfering, either, in whatever disupte seems to have developed between Cecilia and Halla. \"Well...we\'ll be ready,\" he nods toward Elladan, and then makes his own way across the hill. Looking bewildered and muttering about women.