Hi! This is my first LOTR fic…so please be kind. If you think I own any of this, you're more off your knocker than me! I adore Mr. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, the New Line people, and anyone who can legally claim ownership to Middle Earth. I only borrow the characters and will take good care of them while they are in my custody. Please…enjoy this little fantasy I've made up and feel free to review…now, the prologue.
Prologue…The Poem
Truth sometimes hides in shadow
Destiny is not easily seen
But Love finds it all
A quest may be in order
It will not be easy, remember
Truth sometimes hides in shadow
Trials and hardship will surface
Tears may rise and fall
But Love finds it all
Guides will watch intently
Protectors will be by your side
Truth sometimes hides in shadow
Fear covers knowledge like a shroud
Hope succumbs to despair
But Love finds it all
The quest is not for naught
Tranquillity will show through
Destiny is not easily seen
But Love finds it all
Chapter One—The Beginning of the Journey
Sunset was falling over the land of Gondor. The waters of the River Anduin were shimmering red and gold from the setting sun. On the banks of the river, a lone maiden made camp, her horse her only companion on her way to the White City.
As the sun set and darkness fell, the maiden built a fire so her horse would not grow cold. She had never felt the elements; cold didn't affect her like it did the others of Dol Amroth. The firelight showed on the maiden's features. She had long midnight black hair, milky white skin, slender hands, eyes the color of the Bay of Belfalas after a storm, and pointed ears.
Yes, the maiden was an elf. An elf by breed, but not by practice. That was the whole reason she was traveling to Minas Tirith. Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, sent her to the White City to be taught by Lady Arwen Undomiel about her heritage, something that the scribes of Dol Amroth wouldn't be able to do as well as someone who had lived it herself before aligning with the world of men.
The maiden had heard many things about the queen and her King Elessar; how they had fought against all odds to be together, like Queen Arwen's forbearers Beren and Luthien. She had also heard of King Elessar's exploits with the Fellowship of Nine and the Ring of Power. Even in such a remote place as Dol Amroth, word about the possible destruction of Middle Earth and the War of the Ring still was heard. Imrahil, her guardian, even participated in the war with King Elessar before he was crowned king and was known then as Aragorn. She adored Arwen and Elessar even though she had never seen them face to face.
Now, she was on her way to live with the people she most adored, though she loved Imrahil like he was her father. He and his father Adrahil had protected her like one of their own, since they believed that they themselves were of elven blood. Adrahil had found her alone in the forests of Belfalas, crying because she was only an infant elfling. In his kindness and mercy, he had brought her back to his city to be raised in the castle under the protection of the princes of Dol Amroth. Adrahil had named her Rowena, with meant "fair" in the common tongue, but he had given her the elven name of Eararma, which meant "sea-storm" for the unusual blue color of her eyes. She admired both titles, but was more comfortable with Rowena than the more melodic sound of her elvish name.
Since she was raised in the world of men, her knowledge of elven ways was extremely limited. Being sent to Minas Tirith to study under Queen Arwen and King Elessar was an honor she never thought would be bestowed on her. She was content to live out her days as a ward of the prince in the world of men, but the chance to be near her own kind and to have a taste of the ways of elves was enthralling.
Rowena was filled with excitement and fear at what was, in all essence, a start of a brand new life. She was still a young elf-maiden, just shy of the 177th anniversary of being discovered in the forest, since no one really knew when she was born. She knew that she was young, but in the world of men, she was considered an ancient. She knew many things, but always remembered that there was so much more to discover. Minas Tirith would be the perfect place to broaden her knowledge of the world.
Rowena looked behind her to see the lights of Minas Tirith in the distance, a soft golden color reflected off the white stones that had created the city and made it the wonder of Gondor. Tomorrow she would enter the city gates, make her way to the citadel, and be fashioned into the elf she knew she could be.
The fire in front of her began to die out, so Rowena decided to sleep and rest before making her way to that glorious city. Elven sleep was an unusual thing, akin to dolphins of the Great Sea. They slept with their eyes open, always aware of the world around them, but somehow not a part of it. This habit of the elves unnerved some in Imrahil's court, but Rowena had learned to accept it as a special ability of her people. She snuggled up beside her horse, which woke with a start. "Be at peace dear Shadow, for tomorrow we'll see things we never dreamed possible," Rowena said as her horse fell back asleep. She watched the dying fire for some time before her eyes began to let the light of the fire fall away.
