The Last Rites for Souls on Fire

Haldir had walked them silently to the banks of the Anduin. Boats waited in the water. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn stood beside a line of Elves, each holding a small bundle in their arms. She smiled at the Fellowship, her eyes lingering knowingly on Frodo. Haldir stopped, stepping to the side and joining the small crowd that had come to bid them farewell.
As she walked past, Faelwen touched his hand and whispered quickly, "I know you saw me. I beg your forgiveness, for everything," She moved on, speaking slightly louder, "Navaer, Haldir ned Lorien." (Farewell, Haldir of Lorien.)
Haldir went to speak, but stopped himself. She kept moving forwards, her eyes trailing on the ground.

Aragorn, at the front of the line that was the Fellowship, stood in front of Galadriel as she lifted the bundle from the hands of the first Elf. Once the weight was removed, the Elf stepped back, joining the crowd amongst the trees behind him.
"For you, an important sheath and our precious stone, Ellessar, with the power to heal the withered and damaged. Here also is a cloak, made by our craftsmen, with the strength to shield you from your enemies," Galadriel spoke, a strange sense of power in her soft voice.
Aragorn gave a curt bow in thanks and moved on, as did the line of Elves beside the Lady, Merry stepped up followed by Pippin and Boromir. Each received a cloak matching Aragorns' as well as a woven belt with strands of silver and gold, each holding a stout dagger.
Legolas arrived for his turn receiving the same cloak before Galadriel handed him a second gift, "And a new bow. Longer, stouter, stronger. Sung from one of my precious orchids for use against many foes."
Sam stepped forward, an awkward smile on his lips as the cloak was placed in his hands, "For you, little gardener, a case of earth and a seed from my garden. It will cause the soil to burst into bloom wherever you choose to place it."
Frodo accepted his cloak with a nervous, stuttered thank you. She handed him a small, intricately shaped glass phial, "Ringbearer, take with you, our most precious star, Earendil. May it be a light for you in the darkest of places, when all other lights go out."
Gimli took his turn to step forward, his face turning red, "What is it that you desire, Master Dwarf?"
Gimli looked at the ground, his face near purple, "As a memento and a token of peace between our kin, a strand of your hair would make me happy, My Lady."
Galadriel smiled broadly, easily cutting her hair and placing it in a small satchel. Gimli took it with a loud thank you, both surprise and reverence on his gruff face.

Faelwen stepped forward slowly and carefully, "Fainauriel, I give to you something that was taken from you long ago. Though it comes with warning. You know well what you could become, do not use this until days are at their darkest, nor until the moment is most opportune," Galadriel's voice was stern, her eyes hard.
In her hand's, sitting atop the cloak was a small wooden box, "I understand. Hannon le, Hyn ned Galad. I will not even open this lid until I know the time is right." (Thank you, Lady of Light[radiance])
Faelwen took the objects from Galadriel's arms, pulling the cloak round her neck and placing the box into the small bag that she kept attached to her hip, "You will know it is time when you see the hearts of men begin to fail, yet again," Galadriel took a step closer, whispering in her soft voice into Faelwen's ear, "I have seen what darkness lurks in your heart. Know that it will grow stronger."
Faelwen clenched her teeth, "Yes, my Lady."
Faelwen joined the rest of the Fellowship as they boarded the silvery-grey boats. She hid her anger, climbing into a boat with Legolas and Gimli as it was the only one not yet full. Not once did she let herself look back.

Faelwen sat between Legolas and Gimli as they laughed and joked at each other for what felt like weeks in the boat. Every time a slight wave or gentle breeze knocked the boat even a little, she would tense up, gripping the seat until her knuckles nearly split. Legolas gave her worried glances often, though since he stood behind her, they went unnoticed.
"Faelwen, what is bothering you?" He said gently, the concern he held clearly evident.
She replied immediately, her tone sharp and edgy, though not at all hostile, tensing up again as the boat swayed, "This cursed little boat and this damned water. I think it's making me ill."
Legolas let out a burst of laughter, "How can an Elf get sick from water? I thought we came from over the sea, nibin." (petty[a name for troublesome elflings])
"Your memory really is quite poor, mallen-finnel. I am Mornedhel, a dark-one, banished from Aman. We have a natural hatred of water. I suppose it was instilled in us so that we cannot cross the sea again." (Golden-Braids. Aman= The Undying Lands)
"It could be worse," Gimli said, a grin visible under his beard, "We could be on the shore, running from some ugly, stinking Orcs."
Faelwen looked at him, forlorn, as he laughed, "Almost all the Orcs were beautiful once. Or are born from something that was once beautiful. That is by far, the most despicable feature of their race."

Gimli stopped laughing, looking instead at the Elf-Maiden as she tensed up again. Legolas too, looked down at her, disquiet in his eyes. Despite how often she had mentioned 'killing kin' he hadn't really thought of it as something that would bother her. In his mind, something as beautiful as her could not possibly be related to something as woeful and foul as an Orc. He looked at Gimli and knew they were sharing a thought. To her, every Orc that died was an unrecognizable family member, friend, neighbour, subject; every one of them was someone she hadn't saved.
"I'm sorry Miss. I didn't mean to cause you offense," Gimli said, seeming awfully humbled in the presence of Elves all of a sudden.
"It's fine, Gimli. I'm not offended," Her tone was distant, giving Legolas the urge to pull her close, though he resisted.
Faelwen's head snapped around, staring fixedly at the western bank of the river as her slender fingers clenched the seat.