***The gift that Galadriel gives Elysia.*** 

***Elysia's outfit*** 

  The next morning, Lady Galadriel and her ladies-in-waiting came over. They clad us in Elven cloaks that had brooched leaves. And they also gave us gifts. To my surprise, she handed me an elegant journal made from pure leather. 

  "To you, Miss Elysia Hlothar-Undomiel, I give you this journal. So that you can record your thoughts and the journey you are about to proceed on. Along with a set of clear, glass pens." She paused. "Do not worry if the pens run out of ink, Miss Elysia. For the ink will always refill, as they are custom made by the Elves."

  I turned the journal over in my hands, staring at it in awe. I looked back up at her again. 

  "Thank you, Lady Galadriel. I will be sure to treasure it always, and I will definitely be sure to record my thoughts."

  Lady Galadriel smiled at me. She leaned down and said, "Before you go, Elysia, I must take you aside and ask a favor from you."

 "I will patiently wait for you, Lady Galadriel," I answered. 

  Finally, we were able to go ahead and pack our things. The Elves  were gracious enough to give us plenty of provisions, such as water, weapons, clothes, and food for the journey ahead. Legolas bent down to look through the provisions they'd given us. His eyes lit up when he saw what looked like a wafer. 

  "Lembas bread! In other words, Way-bread. The bread of the Elves." He bit into it, immediately looking satisfied. "One bite can fill a grown man's stomach." 

  Legolas then walked away. I overheard Merry and Pippin's conversation.

  "How many did you eat?" Merry asked. 

  "Four," Pippin confessed. 

  I giggled to myself as I listened to their surprising conversation. 

  "Miss Elysia," said Lady Galadriel. I turned to her. And, to my surprise, she looked very serious. 

  I bowed my head to her. "What is so important that you want to talk to me about, My Lady?"

  "Great danger is heading your way. No matter where you go, nowhere is safe. The Ring grows heavy around Frodo's neck with each step he takes towards Mount Doom. And, I fear that the Ring will take a dangerous toll on him. You must stay with him every step of the way, Elysia, even if he tries to push you aside. For I fear that the Ring will work its way to penetrate through his mind. And I know that he'll need you by your side before the end, Elysia." 

  I nodded my head respectfully. 

  "I have already promised to be with him and not lose him, Lady Galadriel." I glanced over at Frodo, who was staring off into the distance, looking unsure of what to do. He looked miserable, poor thing. "And I am intent on keeping that promise, no matter what." 

  Lady Galadriel just smiled at me. 

  "I knew you'd say that. And I know how much Frodo Baggins of the Shire means to you. You keep your promise, Miss Hlothar and you shall be rewarded greatly."

  And pretty soon, it was time for us to board our boats. I continued to stare at the journal that the Lady gave me, while thinking about what she had wanted me to do. 

  After a few days of silence and endless rowing, and stopping when we needed to at night, we came to a halt for the night. We made sure to park on the other side of the river where the Orcs were rumored to be. Boromir and Aragorn were taking their watch, making sure that no one would come our way. But I could overhear their conversation. Something about Gollum tracking us. 

  Ugh. That wretched creature. I knew that he would be after Frodo and the Ring. Besides! Frodo owned it! And soon, he'd be able to rid the weight on his shoulders for good, and be back to normal. 

  "Have you noticed that Mr. Frodo has not gotten any sleep lately, Miss Elysia?" Sam asked. He sat next to me, pounding a large stick into the soil. 

  "Yes. I have," I admitted.

  For the past couple of days, I'd wake up in the middle of the night in between traveling up the river, to see Frodo sitting up and unable to sleep. And, being the good friend that I am, I was concerned for Frodo's health. But I didn't want to bother him with it. He had a lot on his mind, anyways. 

  "He hasn't gotten any sleep. I don't know if you've noticed, Miss Elysia, but Frodo has not been sleeping since Lothlórien." 

  "I've noticed, Sam. Trust me. Every time I wake up in the middle of the night, there he is, sitting up and not sleeping."

  Sam paused, his eyes on Frodo's back. He was looking out to the river. I noticed that his knees were tucked to his chest. I knew he had a lot on his mind. I didn't want to bother him, unless I was told otherwise. 

  "I'm gonna see if I can get Mr. Frodo to sleep," he finally announced as he got to his feet.  

  "What?! No!" I insisted. I grabbed his hand to pull him back down as he stood up. Sam gave me a quizzical look. "Frodo's had a rough time lately. Let him be for now, Sam,"

 "Miss Elysia," Sam insisted. "Mr. Frodo has not slept well in a few days. I need to make sure that he's getting the rest that he needs."

  I sighed, giving up. I allowed myself to let Sam go. The duo spoke quietly. Finally, Sam sighed, looking defeated. He shuffled back over towards me. I gave him a sad, knowing smile. 

  "Couldn't get him to sleep?"

  "No. I really want to help him, Miss Elysia. But he keeps pushing me away. He keeps pushing everybody away." He skulked for a second before looking hopeful at me again. "Maybe you can get him to sleep, Miss Elysia?"

  "I highly doubt that would work, Sam," I rejected doubtfully. "If Frodo is refusing help from anyone, he's going to refuse my help, too."

  "But at least he listens to you," Sam insisted. "He doesn't listen to anyone else. Please, Miss Elysia. Just try. Maybe you can convince him." 

  I sighed, staring off after Frodo. I then glanced back at Sam's pleading, puppy dog eyes. 

  "Fine. I'll try. But don't be surprised if he says 'no'."

  I got to my feet, put my hands behind my back, and cautiously approached Frodo before carefully sitting down next to him. 

  "Hey, Frodo," I greeted quietly, trying to be careful to not startle him. 

  He jumped before glancing over at me. He gave me a small, sad smile back in return before facing the river again. 

  "Hey, Elyse." 

  "Can't sleep?"

  "No. I find it difficult to sleep. Sam told you, I assume?" 

  I smiled softly at him and gently took his hand in mine. I began to caress his knuckles softly in an attempt to reassure him. I was relieved when he didn't pull away.

  "No, Frodo. Sam did not tell me. I've noticed that you haven't been sleeping, even before Sam mentioned it to me."

  Frodo blushed and looked away.  

"Frodo, sweetheart," I said in a quiet voice. I used my hand to gently force him to face me. "I know you can't sleep. But you need to at least relax your body. Just try. For me. Please?"

  Tears of frustration came to Frodo's eyes. 

  "I-I can't seem to sleep or rest my body at all," he admitted. He sniffled, looking defeated and upset with himself. "I'm sorry, Elyse. No matter how hard I try, nothing seems to work."

 I gave him a sad smile. I stood up and offered him a hand for him to take. He looked at me, a little surprised, before finally taking my hand. I led him to a more secluded part of the forest. I got everything comfortable before letting him lay down. I allowed him to rest his head on top of my chest, and I wrapped a comforting arm around his torso, trying to bring him some sense of comfort and protection.

   In the meanwhile, I could hear Aragorn and Boromir arguing. It was mostly Boromir, who did not sound happy with Aragorn. Boromir was trying to get Aragorn to see that he was scared of who he was, and whatnot. And when Boromir mentioned the Ring, Frodo's small body tensed against mine. Eventually, the duo took their arguing somewhere else. Once their voices had faded away, Frodo began to tremble in my arms. He buried his face further into my chest. He gripped my cloak tightly for comfort. He began to cry quietly. 

  "Shhh," I whispered in a soft voice as I ran my fingers comfortingly through his hair in an attempt to calm him. "It's gonna be okay, Frodo. I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise."

  Frodo nuzzled his face further into my chest and I tightened my grip around his torso. 

  "Thank you, Elyse," he said in a quiet voice. 

  "Of course, Frodo." 

  And with that, we both fell asleep comfortably, with his head resting softly against my chest, and my arms wrapped protectively around him. 

  The next morning, we rose early. We got in our boats. Aragorn said that we'd stop again by noon so that we could take a break. 

  "Bring everything that you need," Aragorn instructed as we stopped. "Hide the boats. We travel by foot to the Marshes." 

  "Oh, yes?" said Gimli in a loud voice. I raised an eyebrow, and smirked at Gimli's enthusiasm about dangerous places. "A simple path of razor-sharp rocks? And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshes, as far as the eye can see."

  "That is our road," said Aragorn in a calm voice. Gimli looked enthusiastic about that. "I suggest that you should get some rest, Master Dwarf," Aragorn added.  

  Gimli spluttered in shock, and he did not look too happy. 

  "Recover my —?!" the dwarf spluttered in shock. To Merry, he added, "Pay no heed to that, Master Hobbit."

  Merry stood up, straightened himself out, and looked around. He had a frown of confusion on his face.

  *Where's Frodo?" he finally asked. 

  I jumped and finally noticed what he meant. Frodo was nowhere to be seen. And that scared me. I'd promised Gandalf and Galadriel that I would keep Frodo safe, no matter what situation he was in.

    I drew out my dagger, looking around. 

  "I'm gonna kill whoever kidnapped him!" I growled defensively. 

  "Are you sure you want to do that?" Aragorn asked in a cautious voice as he motioned towards Boromir's empty spot. 

  The two of us glanced at each other before Aragorn went off to find him. I was about to go after him as well, but he stopped me. 

  "Elysia, I need you to stay here," he demanded, catching me off guard. 

  "Why?" I asked, surprised. 

  "It'll be too dangerous if the Enemy comes." 

  "Strider, the Enemy is on the other side of the river. There's no way they'd be able to reach us in a short amount of time."

  "I'm not taking any chances."

  "I promised to protect him, Aragorn!" I burst out angrily. "If I break that promise, I'd never forgive myself!"

  Aragorn stared at me for a long time. Finally, he sighed. 

  "If you insist," he replied. 

  I smiled, feeling the pressure being relieved from my shoulders. If Frodo got hurt, or kidnapped by Orcs without me to protect him, I'd probably kill myself for not keeping my promise. And Aragorn knew how protective I was of Frodo.