Hello! Everything you recognize is Tolkien's. ummmmm The language that they
say is Queyna isn't, its words I made up, sorry bout that. Ummmm I Think
that's all, if i've forgotten anything, please tell me. Please review when
done. Please?? With whip cream and a cherry on top?? ::gets out cool whip::
Ok Thankyou! Now, Folks, Start your Engines! And They're off!
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"Annundaeiel, he wishes to see you."
"I know, the trees have been telling me since the sun showed her face."
"Then why do you not go?"
She looked at the grass under her feet, and then at the face of her long time friend, Maegmariel. Her friend's eyes shone green against her dark hair, the trademark of her family. Often Annundaeiel had wondered how her family was dark, while the rest of the Mirkwood elves were fair. Now though, her mind was on Her other friend, and what he had to say.
"Annundaeiel?"
Meagmariel looked into the face of her friend, thinking of much the same things, with the exception that she was thinking of how it would effect her friend.
"Annundaeiel, what is wrong? Why haven't you gone to see him before?"
"I know what he has to say, and that is why I do not go to him."
Maegmariel sighed.
"You will hear it from his lips sooner or later, there is nothing you can do to stop it."
Looking up at the tree boughs above, Annundaeiel said
"I know, but I wish that I could."
Stepping out of the shadows, Meagmariel crossed the space between them, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Annundaeiel, I know he does not wish to leave either of us, and given the chance I know he would not go, but…"
"Thranduil cannot go, and only one of the true royal family can go."
"Then you know what the messenger brought news of."
Annundaeiel looked around at the grove of trees they were sitting in, and remembered the night before, Her friend leaving was not the only reason she was afraid.
At first she had not been surprised when a strange elf had ridden into the forest, they did so often, looking for one thing or another. But when she saw the fear that draped over him like a cloak and the slashes on his face, she had become afraid. The slashes were made by orcs, some of the wounds were old, but some were no older than twenty minutes. Orcs did not often pursue a single rider; she wondered what tidings had drawn them to chase this one.
As she was thinking the elf saw her.
"Madame Elf!" he cried "I have ridden many long leagues to seek one Thranduil Greenleaf, King of Mirkwood, I bring tidings from the southern part of his kingdom."
Annundaeiel had eyed him, measuring the truth in his words, the last part was true for certain, the horse was obviously of Mirkwood decent. Horses of Mirkwood were rarely stolen by anyone; the robbers were simply thrown off.
"What tidings do you bring of Mirkwood?"
She let the question in her mind linger in the air, what tidings could be so ominous that orcs would chase you?
"My message is for the ears of Thranduil alone"
Annundaeiel had sighed heavily, feeling she was going to regret what she was about to do, but also knowing she had to do it.
"Very well, dismount your horse, I will lead you to him."
Shaking herself into the present Annundaeiel looked at Maegmariel with dead eyes.
"Yes, I do."
"How? It was very secret, no one knows, not even I, though rumors are flying like bats at night."
Again Annundaeiel was volted into the past, leading the elf to Thranduil and hearing the tone of his voice as he made his introduction. Curiosity had overcome her, as it often did.
She had crept around the trees to try to peer into the glade where she thought the two were standing. When she realized that to see and hear, she would have to climb the tree that was hiding her, she cursed under her breath. The tree was already displeased with her presence, and it could easily give her away. But it had not done so before, and she believed it would not now, provided she got its permission to climb. Reluctantly, the tree agreed, and she climbed up, taking care not to break off a single leaf, as that would only serve to anger it, which was the last thing she needed.
When she reached the boughs tall enough to see from, she realized that there were not two, but three elves there. The strange elf, King Thranduil, and her friend Legolas, who also was Thranduil's son.
As the three took part in introductions, the elf's voice came to her ears.
"My lord Thranduil, I bear a message from southern Mirkwood, The message is for your ears alone."
"My son Legolas is to be trusted as I am. Now, Will you please give me the message?
The elf bowed to Thranduil saying
"I am sorry sir," and bowing to Legolas said "and if I have caused offense to you son I apologize, but my orders are clear, My message is to be given to Thranduil Greenleaf, King of Mirkwood."
There had been a long silence in which only the singing of the birds was heard, Annundaeiel had raised her eyebrows, few dared stand up to Thranduil, no matter what the orders. Although he was a kind and fair ruler, it was this trait that reminded her that he was king, and not simply the true father of one of her best friends and the foster father of the other.
Thranduil broke the silence first.
"Legolas is my son and counselor, he will also be king someday and I wish him to learned the ways of kings."
Annundaeiel had rolled her eyes. The first two parts were true enough, Legolas was Thranduil's son, and he did turn to Legolas for advice when it was needed, but Legolas could have taken over as king more than 100 years ago, he simply did not really want to.
The elf thought about it, and finally gave in.
"Very well, but you must be perfectly sure that this is told to no other person."
Annundaeiel had shrunken back at this, suddenly feeling very exposed, but she knew it was to late, even as she did it. Legolas had seen her. Expecting the tree to shake her off at any moment, she had cringed. But no shaking came; Legolas had merely turned his attention back to the elf.
"Annundaeiel!"
As if waking from a dream, Annundaeiel rubbed her eyes.
"Annundaeiel, please, what is wrong, what troubles you so."
"He must leave."
Meagmariel sat silently, she knew this quite well. After her parents had been slain in an orc raid, Thranduil had taken her under her wing. Thus, she heard things earlier than most of the wood. Right now though, all she knew for certain was that Legolas was leaving. It was said that he was off to Rivendell, to learn the ways of the elves there, but that would not shake Annundaeiel so badly.
"The news the messenger brought, what was it?"
Annundaeiel looked at her friend,
"I dare not tell you, for it is to horrible, anyhow, you will find out soon enough."
The news that Annundaeiel could not reveal effected her so much that Meagmariel found that she didn't really want to know. Annundaeiel was not one to be shaken, and this obviously had.
"When does he leave?"
Annundaeiel did not answer. She was thinking of the conversation she had overheard the night before. The present blended with past, and she heard it as if she were there again…
The messenger cleared his throat and said
"Thranduil, I have grave news, hoards of orcs have been attacking the borders of southern Mirkwood since the end of summer. A messenger who demands our allegiance and support continually pesters us. He also promises much knowledge and the rings of old, should we find a small golden ring, a trifle, which his master desires. Also, he speaks of a halfling by the name of Baggins, claiming him the thief of this ring.
Two parts of the message surprised Annundaeiel, The rings of old, she did not dare think of them, as they were the reason her parents were dead. Two of them were accounted for still, but the dark lord had regained one when her parents had been killed. The second thing made her gape.
Baggins, she had heard that name before. Someone by the name of baggins had been in Mirkwood 60 years ago, what had they called him? A hobbit, that was it. She had been living in southern Mirkwood at the time though, and had heard only wild rumors, which she no longer believed.
Apparently the news had caught Thranduil offguard as well. Legolas looked as bewildered as she felt.
"Your borders are under attack?"
Thranduil asked
"Yes My lord, many strange things have happened as well, the messenger is only the beginning. Two of our horses disappeared a while ago, the best of their line, both black; Swarms of birds that resemble ravens swamp us periodically, or fly high overhead; And specters and other strange creatures wander the night, we dare not go out past sundown."
Thranduil sat down heavily, his face shadowed.
"What does the messenger say?"
"That for a small golden ring his master will provide for us the rings of old and the knowledge to speak the languages of all middle earth."
The messenger paused, thinking. Silence followed him, then as if to fill the endless quiet, he said
"He also speaks of a halfling named baggins, and says that he stole the ring I spoke of earlier"
Thranduil stood, and started to pace.
"Does the messenger speak of anything else?"
"Just to ask whether we say yea or nay"
"And nothing else?"
"No, he says nothing, but we have found strange messages with the orc captains we have found."
Thranduil's face seemed to sink much like Annundaeiel's heart.
"What do they say?"
"It is in a very old form of Queyna, we know only that much, we are at a loss for its meaning."
Annundaeiel leaned forward; she had learned Queyna at a very young age, for an elf. Her parents had begun to teach her when she was 352 years old. In her 2,541 years, she had never heard it spoken by anyone, save Legolas, who had learned it from his father.
Anxious to help, the messenger said,
"Though we do not know the meaning, we have guessed the pronunciation,
'Flong singlay zem sile kiy,
Flong singlay zem orong kiy,
Flong singlay zem yirray kiy ilf sund mah leas hlotahnass kimday kiy.'"
Annundaeiel took the moment of silence to run the sentence over in her mind. The accent was atrocious. When she did, she froze.
1 ring to rule them all, 1 ring to find them
1 ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
The elf looked around, wondering at the faces of the two elves before him, one solemn, and one confused. Annundaeiel was then sure that he hadn't any clue what he had just said.
"So, it has returned."
Thranduil sat down, muttering to himself.
Legolas glanced up again, this time catching her eye. In this glance she felt his fear and confusion, and knew he felt hers. Her surprise at Legolas' silence was only surpassed by her bewilderment at hearing a part of a poem that she had known since childhood.
By Elven terms, it was very short, but she had learned it by heart. She still remembered hearing it from her mother's lips when she was very young:
Three rings for Elven kings under the sky
Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone
Nine for mortal men doomed to die
One for the dark lord on his dark throne
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie
1 ring to rule them all, 1 ring to find them
1 ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie
Annundaeiel knew that Sauron had been destroyed by Isliudor, but had always thought that the ring that was said to hold his power had went along with him, apparently, this was not so. Thranduil finally spoke,
"This is indeed grave news, I know not what to though. A message needs to be sent to Elrond of Rivendell. However, I cannot go."
This took all present, and hidden by surprise, the messenger raised his eyebrows, Legolas Looked sharply at his father, and Annundaeiel stiffened, a member of the royal family should go, she knew that, but if Thranduil did not go… she cut off the thought before it got any farther.
"My lord Thranduil, why not?"
Thranduil looked at the messenger, and then at Legolas.
"I must watch over my kingdom in this time of turmoil, if you tell the truth, orcs will soon come to the northern forest. My son will go in my place, for now, come, and let us tend to your wounds. You shall leave together in three days time."
Legolas looked stunned. Her fears confirmed, Annundaeiel's heart dropped to the ground. The Elf bowed to Legolas and departed with the king, discussing travel issues.
Legolas and Annundaeiel sat staring at each other for a very long time. Finally, Legolas broke the silence.
"Annundaeiel, I…."
But he got no further than that; Thranduil's voice rose above the trees.
"Legolas, come, we must make travel preparations for you both!"
Past faded into present, and Annundaeiel found herself looking into her friend's emerald green eyes.
"Annundaeiel LaSinglo, when does he leave?"
The usage of her full name brought her back to the present.
"Maegmariel, I do not believe that name is safe any longer."
Maegmariel sat back. To hear Annundaeiel say that was as good as saying they were falling on hard times in middle earth. Never, as long as Maegmariel had known her, had Annundaeiel asked that her last name not be used, which in common speech meant 'of the ring'.
Once though, Annundaeiel had mentioned that her parents had been forced to hide their name, but that had been… No. No it couldn't be. And yet…
"It has returned. The ring of power has returned."
She said it as a statement, not as a question. Her feelings told her she was correct.
Annundaeiel sadly smiled.
"Your insight is correct, I only hope that you will not soon regret it."
Maegmariel rose
"As do I. Please Annundaeiel, he is afraid you are angry at him, tell him it is not so."
Annundaeiel put her head in her hands.
"By my own will, I cannot bear it, but for you my friend, I will."
"But why? Why can you not see him?"
"Because, every time I get a glimpse of him now, I feel it will be my last."
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"Annundaeiel, he wishes to see you."
"I know, the trees have been telling me since the sun showed her face."
"Then why do you not go?"
She looked at the grass under her feet, and then at the face of her long time friend, Maegmariel. Her friend's eyes shone green against her dark hair, the trademark of her family. Often Annundaeiel had wondered how her family was dark, while the rest of the Mirkwood elves were fair. Now though, her mind was on Her other friend, and what he had to say.
"Annundaeiel?"
Meagmariel looked into the face of her friend, thinking of much the same things, with the exception that she was thinking of how it would effect her friend.
"Annundaeiel, what is wrong? Why haven't you gone to see him before?"
"I know what he has to say, and that is why I do not go to him."
Maegmariel sighed.
"You will hear it from his lips sooner or later, there is nothing you can do to stop it."
Looking up at the tree boughs above, Annundaeiel said
"I know, but I wish that I could."
Stepping out of the shadows, Meagmariel crossed the space between them, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Annundaeiel, I know he does not wish to leave either of us, and given the chance I know he would not go, but…"
"Thranduil cannot go, and only one of the true royal family can go."
"Then you know what the messenger brought news of."
Annundaeiel looked around at the grove of trees they were sitting in, and remembered the night before, Her friend leaving was not the only reason she was afraid.
At first she had not been surprised when a strange elf had ridden into the forest, they did so often, looking for one thing or another. But when she saw the fear that draped over him like a cloak and the slashes on his face, she had become afraid. The slashes were made by orcs, some of the wounds were old, but some were no older than twenty minutes. Orcs did not often pursue a single rider; she wondered what tidings had drawn them to chase this one.
As she was thinking the elf saw her.
"Madame Elf!" he cried "I have ridden many long leagues to seek one Thranduil Greenleaf, King of Mirkwood, I bring tidings from the southern part of his kingdom."
Annundaeiel had eyed him, measuring the truth in his words, the last part was true for certain, the horse was obviously of Mirkwood decent. Horses of Mirkwood were rarely stolen by anyone; the robbers were simply thrown off.
"What tidings do you bring of Mirkwood?"
She let the question in her mind linger in the air, what tidings could be so ominous that orcs would chase you?
"My message is for the ears of Thranduil alone"
Annundaeiel had sighed heavily, feeling she was going to regret what she was about to do, but also knowing she had to do it.
"Very well, dismount your horse, I will lead you to him."
Shaking herself into the present Annundaeiel looked at Maegmariel with dead eyes.
"Yes, I do."
"How? It was very secret, no one knows, not even I, though rumors are flying like bats at night."
Again Annundaeiel was volted into the past, leading the elf to Thranduil and hearing the tone of his voice as he made his introduction. Curiosity had overcome her, as it often did.
She had crept around the trees to try to peer into the glade where she thought the two were standing. When she realized that to see and hear, she would have to climb the tree that was hiding her, she cursed under her breath. The tree was already displeased with her presence, and it could easily give her away. But it had not done so before, and she believed it would not now, provided she got its permission to climb. Reluctantly, the tree agreed, and she climbed up, taking care not to break off a single leaf, as that would only serve to anger it, which was the last thing she needed.
When she reached the boughs tall enough to see from, she realized that there were not two, but three elves there. The strange elf, King Thranduil, and her friend Legolas, who also was Thranduil's son.
As the three took part in introductions, the elf's voice came to her ears.
"My lord Thranduil, I bear a message from southern Mirkwood, The message is for your ears alone."
"My son Legolas is to be trusted as I am. Now, Will you please give me the message?
The elf bowed to Thranduil saying
"I am sorry sir," and bowing to Legolas said "and if I have caused offense to you son I apologize, but my orders are clear, My message is to be given to Thranduil Greenleaf, King of Mirkwood."
There had been a long silence in which only the singing of the birds was heard, Annundaeiel had raised her eyebrows, few dared stand up to Thranduil, no matter what the orders. Although he was a kind and fair ruler, it was this trait that reminded her that he was king, and not simply the true father of one of her best friends and the foster father of the other.
Thranduil broke the silence first.
"Legolas is my son and counselor, he will also be king someday and I wish him to learned the ways of kings."
Annundaeiel had rolled her eyes. The first two parts were true enough, Legolas was Thranduil's son, and he did turn to Legolas for advice when it was needed, but Legolas could have taken over as king more than 100 years ago, he simply did not really want to.
The elf thought about it, and finally gave in.
"Very well, but you must be perfectly sure that this is told to no other person."
Annundaeiel had shrunken back at this, suddenly feeling very exposed, but she knew it was to late, even as she did it. Legolas had seen her. Expecting the tree to shake her off at any moment, she had cringed. But no shaking came; Legolas had merely turned his attention back to the elf.
"Annundaeiel!"
As if waking from a dream, Annundaeiel rubbed her eyes.
"Annundaeiel, please, what is wrong, what troubles you so."
"He must leave."
Meagmariel sat silently, she knew this quite well. After her parents had been slain in an orc raid, Thranduil had taken her under her wing. Thus, she heard things earlier than most of the wood. Right now though, all she knew for certain was that Legolas was leaving. It was said that he was off to Rivendell, to learn the ways of the elves there, but that would not shake Annundaeiel so badly.
"The news the messenger brought, what was it?"
Annundaeiel looked at her friend,
"I dare not tell you, for it is to horrible, anyhow, you will find out soon enough."
The news that Annundaeiel could not reveal effected her so much that Meagmariel found that she didn't really want to know. Annundaeiel was not one to be shaken, and this obviously had.
"When does he leave?"
Annundaeiel did not answer. She was thinking of the conversation she had overheard the night before. The present blended with past, and she heard it as if she were there again…
The messenger cleared his throat and said
"Thranduil, I have grave news, hoards of orcs have been attacking the borders of southern Mirkwood since the end of summer. A messenger who demands our allegiance and support continually pesters us. He also promises much knowledge and the rings of old, should we find a small golden ring, a trifle, which his master desires. Also, he speaks of a halfling by the name of Baggins, claiming him the thief of this ring.
Two parts of the message surprised Annundaeiel, The rings of old, she did not dare think of them, as they were the reason her parents were dead. Two of them were accounted for still, but the dark lord had regained one when her parents had been killed. The second thing made her gape.
Baggins, she had heard that name before. Someone by the name of baggins had been in Mirkwood 60 years ago, what had they called him? A hobbit, that was it. She had been living in southern Mirkwood at the time though, and had heard only wild rumors, which she no longer believed.
Apparently the news had caught Thranduil offguard as well. Legolas looked as bewildered as she felt.
"Your borders are under attack?"
Thranduil asked
"Yes My lord, many strange things have happened as well, the messenger is only the beginning. Two of our horses disappeared a while ago, the best of their line, both black; Swarms of birds that resemble ravens swamp us periodically, or fly high overhead; And specters and other strange creatures wander the night, we dare not go out past sundown."
Thranduil sat down heavily, his face shadowed.
"What does the messenger say?"
"That for a small golden ring his master will provide for us the rings of old and the knowledge to speak the languages of all middle earth."
The messenger paused, thinking. Silence followed him, then as if to fill the endless quiet, he said
"He also speaks of a halfling named baggins, and says that he stole the ring I spoke of earlier"
Thranduil stood, and started to pace.
"Does the messenger speak of anything else?"
"Just to ask whether we say yea or nay"
"And nothing else?"
"No, he says nothing, but we have found strange messages with the orc captains we have found."
Thranduil's face seemed to sink much like Annundaeiel's heart.
"What do they say?"
"It is in a very old form of Queyna, we know only that much, we are at a loss for its meaning."
Annundaeiel leaned forward; she had learned Queyna at a very young age, for an elf. Her parents had begun to teach her when she was 352 years old. In her 2,541 years, she had never heard it spoken by anyone, save Legolas, who had learned it from his father.
Anxious to help, the messenger said,
"Though we do not know the meaning, we have guessed the pronunciation,
'Flong singlay zem sile kiy,
Flong singlay zem orong kiy,
Flong singlay zem yirray kiy ilf sund mah leas hlotahnass kimday kiy.'"
Annundaeiel took the moment of silence to run the sentence over in her mind. The accent was atrocious. When she did, she froze.
1 ring to rule them all, 1 ring to find them
1 ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
The elf looked around, wondering at the faces of the two elves before him, one solemn, and one confused. Annundaeiel was then sure that he hadn't any clue what he had just said.
"So, it has returned."
Thranduil sat down, muttering to himself.
Legolas glanced up again, this time catching her eye. In this glance she felt his fear and confusion, and knew he felt hers. Her surprise at Legolas' silence was only surpassed by her bewilderment at hearing a part of a poem that she had known since childhood.
By Elven terms, it was very short, but she had learned it by heart. She still remembered hearing it from her mother's lips when she was very young:
Three rings for Elven kings under the sky
Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone
Nine for mortal men doomed to die
One for the dark lord on his dark throne
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie
1 ring to rule them all, 1 ring to find them
1 ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie
Annundaeiel knew that Sauron had been destroyed by Isliudor, but had always thought that the ring that was said to hold his power had went along with him, apparently, this was not so. Thranduil finally spoke,
"This is indeed grave news, I know not what to though. A message needs to be sent to Elrond of Rivendell. However, I cannot go."
This took all present, and hidden by surprise, the messenger raised his eyebrows, Legolas Looked sharply at his father, and Annundaeiel stiffened, a member of the royal family should go, she knew that, but if Thranduil did not go… she cut off the thought before it got any farther.
"My lord Thranduil, why not?"
Thranduil looked at the messenger, and then at Legolas.
"I must watch over my kingdom in this time of turmoil, if you tell the truth, orcs will soon come to the northern forest. My son will go in my place, for now, come, and let us tend to your wounds. You shall leave together in three days time."
Legolas looked stunned. Her fears confirmed, Annundaeiel's heart dropped to the ground. The Elf bowed to Legolas and departed with the king, discussing travel issues.
Legolas and Annundaeiel sat staring at each other for a very long time. Finally, Legolas broke the silence.
"Annundaeiel, I…."
But he got no further than that; Thranduil's voice rose above the trees.
"Legolas, come, we must make travel preparations for you both!"
Past faded into present, and Annundaeiel found herself looking into her friend's emerald green eyes.
"Annundaeiel LaSinglo, when does he leave?"
The usage of her full name brought her back to the present.
"Maegmariel, I do not believe that name is safe any longer."
Maegmariel sat back. To hear Annundaeiel say that was as good as saying they were falling on hard times in middle earth. Never, as long as Maegmariel had known her, had Annundaeiel asked that her last name not be used, which in common speech meant 'of the ring'.
Once though, Annundaeiel had mentioned that her parents had been forced to hide their name, but that had been… No. No it couldn't be. And yet…
"It has returned. The ring of power has returned."
She said it as a statement, not as a question. Her feelings told her she was correct.
Annundaeiel sadly smiled.
"Your insight is correct, I only hope that you will not soon regret it."
Maegmariel rose
"As do I. Please Annundaeiel, he is afraid you are angry at him, tell him it is not so."
Annundaeiel put her head in her hands.
"By my own will, I cannot bear it, but for you my friend, I will."
"But why? Why can you not see him?"
"Because, every time I get a glimpse of him now, I feel it will be my last."
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