Disclaimer : These characters, events and settings do not belong to us. Thalawen and Landailyn and the rest are either completely made up or belong to J.R.R Tolkien. Also please note that there is NO slash, harsh language or sexual content in this story! Though there is some mild violence, character angst, true friendships (means again that there is NO slash) and a little romance as you all know from our other story Shadow in the Trees! Also please note that we know that this is not really how the Two Towers and the Return of the King went, we're mostly making up our own stuff here!

AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
By : mirkwood-elf-2931 & Thala


CHAPTER 1



The sound of a gentle breeze drifted among the fully leaved green trees, as black booted feet walked silently along a baring path in a wood their owner had called home for over two millennia.

It was early, not as early as the Elf would have liked to have set out, but a few things had been in need of attendance before she was able to get away. Sometimes, she regretted when duty called for Mirkwood's royal guard captain.

Five months had flown by since the incident with Saruman and Thalawen. And Landailyn had not been able to see her old and more newer friends at all during this period. So now was the time, she thought, to head out and pay them a little surprise visit.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


A beautiful June wind rattled the leaves of Rivendell's trees. Thalawen looked up inquizitively; something was coming, she thought to herself. Hopefully it was something good, unlike the Council of Elrond five months before. Those visitors had brought unwelcome news and taken her friends away from her. Thalawen shook herself to relieve the thoughts of the previous months. Saruman was still a nightmare on cold and lonely nights.     

As usual, Thalawen was at the base of the Last Homely House, knocking an arrow into her bow and letting it fly. It went straight to the center, the wind did not deter it on its course. This was a wonderful time for Thalawen to practice, but also for her to go over things in her mind. She loved the solace her training sessions brought her; the feel that she was the only one in the whole of Middle-Earth. But soon after the incident with the White Wizard, she'd hated the thought of being alone.


Thalawen let another arrow fly into the center dot on the tree. She was just reaching back for another when something caught her attention out the corner of her eye. Forgetting the next arrow, she turned to see Arwen coming slowly down the path toward her, her face hidden behind a slip of parchment. Setting her bow down quickly, she rushed over to meet her. "What is it?" she asked breathlessly.


"It's a letter from Aragorn." Arwen chewed on her finger nail worried-like, but would say nothing more. Her eyes were zooming back and forth across the page.


"Arwen..." said Thalawen impatiently. But still she was not listening. At this, Thalawen waited patiently for her to finish the letter in peace. When Arwen finally looked up at her, she asked, "Well? What news does Aragorn have for us?"


Arwen looked down and calmly folded the parchment back to the way she had recieved it. "He says the One Ring has been destroyed." At this Thalawen let out a sigh of relief. "The Fellowship is fine, they are all safe. Only Boromir and Haldir did not make it." A small tear formed in her eyes for the lost man and Elf.


"I'm sorry, Arwen. I know Haldir was your friend of old." Thalawen patted Arwen's shoulder comfortingly.


"Yes, he was. But Aragorn goes on to say that Gandalf did not fall into shadow after all, that he is alive and is now Gandalf the White." Arwen paused briefly. "Also, Aragorn has been crowned King in Gondor." There was no smile on her face at this joyous news.


Thalawen slowly wrapped Arwen in her arms. "I know you want to be with him, little sister." She paused when Arwen said nothing. "Do you not?"


"Oh, I do. I want to be there with him more than anything. It has been so long since last he held me in his arms. I need him, Thalawen," she cried on Thalawen's shoulder.


"There, there. Then we shall go to him and all will be well. How is that?"

At the news that Thalawen would accompany her to Gondor, Arwen smiled her luminescent smile. But a single thought crossed her mind and made her frown.

Thalawen read it plainly on her face. "Do no be worried about Father. He will let us, I'm sure of it."



*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


Later that night, shouting voices could be heard inside the House of Elrond.


Thalawen angrily paced the floor, making the rug bunch up on the wood floor. "Why, Father? She needs to be with Aragorn. It is her choice to go," she said vehemently.


"I do not want her traveling with only you, as you well know what happened last she went on an adventure," Elrond stated stubbornly.


"She was fine! Nothing happened that she could not take care of. She is not a child."

"She is my child and I will not let anything happen to her!" Elrond shouted.


"Father, please. Let her be with Aragorn. She is not happy here with just me."


"You forget, I am here too," said Elrond.


"You do not love her the way Aragorn does. She will be perfectly safe with me, Father." With that said she went to him and touched his arm lovingly. "I would never let anything happen to my sister. I promise."


Elrond rubbed the bridge of his nose in concentration. Why did his only daughter want to leave him? There was nothing he could do to make her not love Aragorn, no matter how hard he had tried. He did not want to see her unhappy. The battle was lost on his part and he gave in. "When you reach Gondor and Arwen is with Aragorn, you will come back to me, won't you?" he asked quietly. Hopefully one of his daughters would stay with him.


Thalawen smiled and hugged Elrond tightly. "Yes, Father. If that is your wish."


He returned her smile. Looking at her now, he noted how beautiful she was, much like Arwen. He did not witness her physical change when she'd been turned by Saruman, but he was infinately glad that she had once regained her dark green eyes, the loose curls in her raven-black hair, the soft white skin that held no flaw. He then turned to look out the window across Rivendell. "It is, my daughter. It is."


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


"Will you be ready within the hour, Thala?" asked Arwen as she poked her head through the door.

Thalawen looked up from the complicated belts and buckles around her body. "Yes, sooner if you would be so kind as to put my weapons on Asfaloth." She pointed toward her bed, indicating where the bow, quiver, and sword lay.

Arwen went to the bed and put the bow and quiver full of arrows around her body, then bent down again for the sword. Carafang was its name, and Arwen could tell it had recently been polished. No longer was the blade dull from the past few months of disuse. After Arwen and Thalawen had gotten home from that terrible journey five months ago, Thalawen had put the blade away and chose to spend her time with beings instead of steal.

Arwen could only remember Thalawen cleaning it once after they'd returned home, and that was to clean the last remaining flecks of Orc blood away from its gleaming shaft. This sword had been in many battles, but the princess knew it had only ever been used once against its master.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


Patting her hand on the white horse's side, she whispered her goodbye to her closest friend. Ezril rubbed his head against his owner, their hair mingled and entwined. Coarse white hair against soft raven-black strands, black as pitch.

"I will miss you, boy," Thalawen murmured.

Exril's soft whinny was his own lament for her.

Thalawen put her forehead to the steed's own and closed her eyes, breathed in his smell. On a long sigh she let go of him and walked out of the stables, into the sunshine. There at the door of the barn stood Elladan and Elrohir.

"Saying goodbye to your loverboy?" teased Elrohir.

"Did you give him a big smacking kiss on the lips to last him while you're gone?" asked Elladan.

Thalawen couldn't help but laugh at their implication of the relationship she may have with her horse. She quietly put her arms around each in turn and said her farewell to her brothers.

"Send us a letter when you get there," Elladan reminded her.

"That is if you get there," said Elrohir in his need to join in and add his little bit to the conversation.

"Of course. Anything for my two favorite brothers."

"We're your only brothers!" they exclaimed in unison.

She looked over her shoulder to laugh as she walked away, going to look for her adopted father.


TBC ...