By Dawn's Early Light by Grundy

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Telling Truths

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Arwen had been with her grandparents when the messenger arrived from Legolas in Eryn Galen. Thranduil’s people had taken part in a great battle at Erebor, after the dragon’s defeat. Though there had been terrible loss of life, the mountain was secure. The dwarves were rebuilding, as were the men of Dale.

There had been no greetings from her siblings, but that didn’t worry her unduly. The twins might still be irritated at being packed off to prevent them from joining the march against Dol Guldur, and Anariel would probably be extremely annoyed at having missed not one but two battles.

So it was with an easy heart that she joined Anariel’s friend Xander to tell him the news. While the mortal women had elected to return to Imladris with her parents and youngest sister, the lone male had asked to stay behind. He felt the craftsmen of Lorien had much to teach him about the working of wood, and since it was expected that Anariel and the twins would return to Lorien after their visit to Thranduil’s halls, he could accompany them whenever they returned home.

She found him sanding what looked to be the lid of a chest. It was beautiful, but she couldn’t imagine who it was for.

“It’s for Buffy,” he said conversationally, almost as though he’d heard the question.

Arwen wondered, sometimes, if Xander did hear them. It wasn’t something the Edain normally were capable of, but he often seemed to do this of late- volunteer an answer before the question was asked, or even give information before the question was fully formed.

“I know they made weapons for her before she left, and I realized she doesn’t have a weapons chest here like she did in Sunnydale. So it seemed like a good project to start with. And the way elves take care of things, it will give her something to remember me by.”

He did not need to explain that he meant ‘when I’m gone’- Arwen was not as hyperaware of his mortality as Anariel seemed to be, but she did understand that being mortal, he would one day die, and they would have only memory.

“I do not think she will need anything to remember you by,” Arwen remarked. “You are as much family to her as I am. She could not forget.”

He smiled, though it seemed to Arwen there was both sadness and some bit of knowledge she was missing in it.

“You think that now,” Xander said. “Ask her again in a hundred years or so, when I’m long gone.”

“A hundred years is not so very long!” Arwen protested.

Xander laughed.

“I guess it isn’t when you’ve got forever. It is for us, though.”

“I do not understand,” Arwen said. “The men of Numenor were not so short lived.”

Xander blinked.

“A hundred years is short lived? Arwen, where we come from, a hundred is a venerable age, and very few people live that long. Most die before they reach ninety!”

Arwen was horrified. She had not realized Anariel could expect so little time with her friends.

“But even so,” she protested weakly. “Anariel could never forget someone so important to her.”

Xander sighed.

“I was serious, Arwen,” he said gently. “Ask her again when we’re all gone. Wait until we’ve been dead a decade or so. Then find out if she thinks it’s important.”

“You expect she will,” Arwen said, trying to understand.

Xander nodded.

“Absolutely. It’s part of being mortal. Because the day will come when the people you love can never be with you again, tokens like this are something to hold onto. Something you can see and touch when the people that made them aren’t there anymore, to feel close to them again.”

Arwen considered the idea. Perhaps it was different for mortals. She had heard their memories faded with their days. But for the eldar, memory was evergreen, as deathless as they themselves were. She would need to think on this. And perhaps speak to Adar, who had known more mortals than she had.

“I am sure she will appreciate it either way,” she declared, trying to turn the conversation to less solemn matters. “Grandmother has had news from the Woodland Realm.”

“What hijinx have Buff and the Brothers El gotten up to now?” Xander asked cheerfully, continuing his sanding.

“Evidently nothing of note, they were not even mentioned,” Arwen said, slightly frustrated. She hadn’t thought on it before, but the lack of mention was odd considering that the message had been sent to daernaneth. Surely Legolas ought to have known to convey their greetings to his friends’ grandparents.

“The wood elves, men, and dwarves fought a great battle against yrch and wargs after the dragon Smaug was killed at Long Lake,” she explained. “They sent word to us of the victory and to say that Kili, son of Dis, is the new King Under the Mountain.”

Xander had stopped sanding.

“That’s the Buffster for you,” he muttered. “Tell her she has to sit out one battle, and she goes and finds another. Wait- she didn’t start the battle, did she? She’s ok, right? And your brothers?”

He sounded genuinely concerned, to Arwen’s amusement.

“Xander! I’m sure Anariel was nowhere near the battle! Thranduil would not let her march if our parents and grandparents did not!”

Xander blinked. He waited, to her confusion, then shook his head.

“Wow. You really think she was nowhere near that battle.”

“She couldn’t have been,” Arwen began reasonably, but Xander was shaking his head again.

“Arwen, if she wasn’t, I will live on lembas alone for a month,” he said, raising his hand to testify to his vow. “If there was a major throwdown, she was there. It’s kind of what she does. Short of Legolas tying her up and sitting on her- and I’m guessing it wouldn’t occur to him that’s something he’d need to do- she would get herself into the fight by hook or by crook.”

Arwen’s eyes grew wide. Xander was absolutely convinced of what he was saying. There was not the slightest trace of doubt in him that her little sister had been in a battle.

“There was no word of her,” she whispered, frightened. “Or of our brothers.”

“She’s probably ok then,” Xander decided. “Or at least, close enough to ok to not want to freak anyone out.”

He paused.

“Any word on whether she’s still coming back to Lorien?”

“You think she would not?” Arwen demanded.

Xander shrugged.

“Your parents sent her to the Greenwood to keep her out of trouble, and she went and found it anyway. I don’t know about your dad, but I’m pretty sure your mom’s not going to be happy with her. Buff’s usual m.o. when there’s something she knows your mom will find out about is to let her get it out of her system. Giving her time to stew just makes it worse.”

“Their relationship was not good in your Sunnydale?” Arwen asked. This was the first she’d heard of this!

“Well… your mom kinda kicked her out of the house at one point because of her being the Slayer,” Xander admitted. He hastily added, “at least Buffy thought she did. Two sides to the story, I'm sure. And that was a low point. Things were better after that. But like I said, letting her know what’s going on and not giving her time to stew is key. Buff’ll probably try to beat the bad news home and fess up straight off.”

Arwen frowned.

“I’m going to speak to Grandmother,” she said, rising and heading back the way way she had come. “She will find the truth of it.”