Enyalie
Memory
2nd part of 'Son of Elves and Men' series.
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Author:
Etharei*My sincerest thanks to my beta, Halo Son.*
Rating:
PG-13 (for battle scenes and violence)Disclaimer:
As hard as it is to believe, the beloved characters, places and languages featured in this fanfic actually belongs to Tolkien. I am not making any profit out of this, choosing instead to write out of the sheer pleasure of entertaining others with my stories. Anyway, they're Tolkien's, and I'm only borrowing them for a little while, though Aragorn and Legolas in particular would be a little worn out from all the stuff I put them through.And please remember, this is fan fiction, written for fun and out of love for the stories and characters of JRR Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Not everyone has the same view on how things could have happened, so please don't flame me if you don't agree with my perspective. I try to keep in canon with the book, but obviously it is still my view of events. If there are any major mistakes, I apologise in advance- please feel free to point out them out, though, and I'll see what I can do about them.
Spoilers:
If you've seen FOTR and TTT, then no worries, though I ultimately put the books above the movie. Just a note as the movies don't exactly follow the books all the time. May have some small Silmarillion references.Introduction to the Series
The Son of Elves and Men covers the years in which Aragorn Elessar learns important aspects of himself and prepares for his heritage and destiny. He is young, inexperienced, and is encountering the many evils of the world for the first time. I like to focus on his relationship with his family, especially Gilraen, who tends to be in the background in many of the stories I've read. I also look at how his upbringing amongst elves would have made him different from other men, though this will be more evident in later stories. And for those who like stories with them together, Legolas will come along eventually.
The very short list of stories in the series at the moment (in reading order):
Umea Indo
Enyalie
Summary of Enyalie
At the age of 19, the time draws near for Aragorn to learn about his heritage. Yet Elrond is reluctant to tell him, and awaits a sign to show that the time is right. Ultimately, the young human son of Elrond will have to make a choice that will determine the path of his life, and consequently the future of Middle-Earth.
Featuring: Aragorn, Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, *Rhuidal, *Érina, *Gunae
*Original Characters
**These events take place around 6 months after Edain.
A great undercurrent in this series is the Game, a small idea that got out of hand, and now determines the course of each story…
Concerning the Game
- Gandalf speaking to Peregrin Took, 'Minas Tirith', Book V, Return of the King
Imagine a giant chessboard that encompassed all of Middle-Earth. The pieces are real lives, and a single round of the game may transcend time and space. Now multiply the number of boards, and that many are played at the same time, though not necessarily the same players, and that is a vague idea of the Game.
"But the Enemy has the move, and he is about to open his full game. And pawns are likely to see as much of it as any, Peregrin son of Paladin, soldier of Gondor. Sharpen your blade!"
All the battles in Middle-Earth, all the defeats and victories, are all part of this elaborate 'Game' between the higher powers, though perhaps not rising to the level of Iluvatar. The battle between the Valar had nearly torn the world apart once, so the battle was taken far above the physical realm, and became a game of strategy and manipulation.
The Game is not as straightforward as it may seem- usually it's the furthest thing from it. For within apparent victory may lie a defeat that would not be known for centuries to come. An example would be Isildur's failure to destroy the ring. It seemed as if the Enemy, the Black Player, had won, and the Last Alliance was in vain, yet the Ring eventually passed on to a hobbit, perhaps a very big gamble on behalf of the White Players. Frodo and Gollum finished what Isildur could not. So had it been a defeat, or a victory?
Choice. The element of choice is probably the most crucial part of the Game. The Game basically involves cunning maneuvering and tactics aimed towards 'convincing' the opponent's Key Piece to choose in one's favour. An example would be if White presents Black's Key Piece with the Choice of either to Live or Die. This Piece may one day save a thousand lives, or destroy them, and usually some aspect of their future is revealed to them, though seldom are these 'flashes' understood. The Choice must be made in the Piece's own free will, without any interference from the Players. After one Player presents the Choice to the opposing Key Piece, the other Player only has a limited time to present his.
Balance. It's another key element to the Game. For every Move one makes, the opposing Player gets a sort of 'credit' with which he can make a move using the same amount of power and level of interference. Because it works like a credit system, one can accumulate Moves; an opponent's many smaller moves may allow a Player one powerful Move. This works both ways. Also, if one side breaks the rules, the other is allowed a little leeway, and their moves during this time will not be sensed by the opponent.
As you can see, this concept is actually very complex and involved, and add in the fact that several Rounds of the Game are going on at the same time, it gets very confusing. The Rules bind the Players to the Game, and cheating or breaking of the Rules is met with painful punishment. The Round ends with either a victory/defeat, or a stalemate, and it's usually the latter. For a Player to win, both Key Pieces have to decide on that Player's favour. Otherwise it's a stalemate. Also, the Pieces tend to not remember the moment of Choice. They may remember having to make a choice that changed their lives, but not much besides that. Some exceptions might be made occasionally, but not much is known about them as they are private moments for the Pieces.
Note that Black and White do not necessarily represent Evil and Good respectively, though most will see it that way. They are simply opposing forces, and I've titled them Black and White after the initial idea of a chessboard. Note that the Players for both sides change, and the Pieces change according to the situation. There have been many occasions where a Key Piece for one side in one Round may suddenly be the Key Piece for the opposing side in the next Round. But remember that in the end, though it is called the Game, it is truly a battle for Middle-Earth, and with each Move of a Piece, lives and battles may be lost, and destinies made.
[Please note that the Game is entirely made up, though it does give the stories a whole new dimension.]
