Title: The Nazgul Slayer

Author: Annielle

Summary: Elladan, Elrohir and their twin sister Elleniel were separated at a young age. Elleniel was taken by the Istar wizards and brought to Valinor to be trained to destroy the Nazguls. Centuries later, now a powerful witch-warrior, she is back in Middle Earth to accomplish her mission. Will she manage to eliminate the ringwraiths, conquer Glorfindel's heart and forgive her father Elrond?

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings and any of its characters.

Warnings: Alternate Universe, some content not suitable for minors.

Cast: Glorfindel, Elladan, Elrohir, Elrond, Erestor, Mithrandir

Chapter 1 – The blue Istar

The nights were getting colder, especially in the North. The Dunedain rangers were gathered around the fire, enjoying its warmth while they were discussing the orc attack from the previous day. Other rangers had arrived at the camp earlier, and they were eager to hear about the battle.

Elladan and Elrohir were sitting a little away from the fire, as elves were not feeling cold like mortals did. When he was done settling his men, their brother Estel came to sit beside them.

The twin brothers greeted the Dunadan that had been raised in Imladris by their father Elrond. The elves were calling him Estel, the rangers called him by his birth name Aragorn, while the rest of Middle Earth knew him as Strider.

"I am happy to find you here," Estel whispered to them. "I have to tell you about a strange encounter I made in Bree about a month ago. I was staying at the Prancing Pony, sleeping quietly in my room, when I suddenly woke up and felt the urge to go in the forest. It was an irresistible pull, I had never felt such a thing before."

"Were you able to resist it?" asked Elrohir, wondering how strong Estel's mind had been against this strange pull.

"Absolutely not! An hour later, I was walking deep in the forest, until I saw a cloaked figure in a small clearing. Welcome, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the person told me in Westron. As I got closer, I realized I was facing a powerful wizard. He was radiating magic, the magic that had called me in that clearing and was keeping me from leaving or attacking him. I have since then determined, after much thinking on the events, that I had met a blue Istar."

"A new blue Istar arrived in Middle Earth?" replied Elladan. "Radagast the Brown and Gandalf the Grey did not mention it the last time we saw them. Are you sure?"

"Positive. Although I have not seen the wizard's face, his stature and voice led me to believe this Istar has not taken the shape of an old man like the others. But it was a blue Istar, I can swear it. He gave me a missive, and I saw his hand was glowing blue when he gave it to me. This was certainly due to the magic he used to lure me there. The sealed missive itself was glowing blue, full of enchantment."

"What was the missive about?"

"I do not know. It was magically sealed, the wizard told me. Only its recipients can open it."

"Who are the recipients?"

"You!" replied Estel, taking the missive out of his tunic where he had been keeping it in the past month.

Elladan and Elrohir watched the missive in amazement. Estel was right, there was a light blue glow to it. They looked at each other for a second before Elladan extended his hand and took it from Estel's. Immediately, the missive stopped glowing. He broke the seal, and started reading the letter, his brother Elrohir reading over his shoulder.

Estel watched them as their faces became white, then red. Elrohir looked like he was going to fall, and Elladan steadied him before it actually happened. They both sat there, in silence, frozen, incapable of any movement. Estel took the letter from Elladan's hand, but the writings immediately disappeared.

"I knew it! Finally!" Elrohir said to his twin after a few minutes. "After all these centuries of separation, we will..."

Elladan put his hand on his mouth to stop him from finishing his thought.

"Estel, thank you for bringing this missive to us. I am afraid we have to leave immediately."

"Will you not tell me what this is about?" asked Estel, worrying for his adoptive brothers.

"One day we will, but it is not possible at the moment. Do not worry for us, brother, you have brought us good news."

Elrohir started gathering their weapons and various belongings while Elladan got their horses ready. The Rangers looked at them with surprise, wondering why the elves were leaving them so abruptly, but their leader Aragorn silenced them with his hand. They watched as he accompanied his elvish brothers to the forest line, and gave them his farewells.

Lord Elrond was on the balcony of his private apartments, watching Imladris as it settled for the night. Most of the houses were now dark, indicating that their inhabitants were asleep. In his own palace, the servants were finishing their duties, and most guests were in the Hall of Fire, where minstrels were still playing music. Elrond had retired for the night early, restless and anxious for a reason he could not explain. It had started a few days ago, when his sons had arrived in Imladris months earlier than expected. Their orc chasing mission with the northern rangers, that had been supposed to last until the following spring, had been cut short and they did not give him any explanations. They were strangely distant with their family and friends. Elrond had asked the commander of his guard, who had been their mentor in weapon training, to see if he would be more successful. Glorfindel could only confirm Elrond's suspicions. The twins were hiding something, something important, but they would not tell anyone. Elrond had asked Glorfindel to watch his sons closely, and to report anything irregular.

Elrond was about to go back in his bedroom when he saw two cloaked figures run from his house to the forest line. His sons. He recognized their gaits, their Lorien bows tied on their backs, and the closeness they shared when they moved together. When they disappeared in the woods, another cloaked figure left his house. Elrond smiled with satisfaction. This time, he had recognized the figure of Glorfindel and his golden hair coming out of the hood. He had no doubt his commander would bring him answers in the morning.

Glorfindel knew the twins' tracking skills were outstanding. They would hear or see him is he got too close, and so he followed them from at great distance. He lost their trace twice. These elflings will not get rid of me so easily, he thought.

Glorfindel had been born in the first age, had died following his victorious fight against a balrog, earning his name The Balrog Slayer, and had been reembodied in the second age. Few elves of Middle Earth were as venerable and full of wisdom as he was, and the twins, although almost three millennia old, were still elflings to him.

He finally found them. They were on the river bank, pacing as if waiting for something to happen at that exact spot. Glorfindel hid behind a bush, on a hill located on the other side of the river. He settled down and started waiting like his former pupils.

After an hour, he saw movements in the trees nearby where the twins had finally decided to sit. They had seen it too, and stood with their bows, ready for an attack. A single figure finally appeared, another cloaked warrior. Glorfindel could see his bow and the hilt of his sword. The new warrior did not draw his weapons, and simply watched the twins, who eventually dropped their bows.

Glorfindel could not believe what happened next. Elrohir started walking towards the new warrior, and crushed him against his chest. Elladan shortly followed, pushing his brother aside and taking the newcomer in his arms.

Elves accepted sexual preferences without any judgement. Like most of his kin, Glorfindel had had both male and female lovers in his long existence. But not Elladan and Elrohir. As far as he could remember, the twins only had had female lovers in the past. Seeing them with a warrior was a first, but was it enough to justify this secrecy? They had no reason to be ashamed.

The newcomer was the same height than the twins, but was less solidly built. He had his back to Glorfindel, who could not see his face, but his hair was raven black like the twins. Glorfindel decided to watch a little more, and if things were getting too hot by the river, he would give them some privacy. The trio sat and started talking animatedly, all three holding hands incessantly and touching their faces as if making sure they were real.

It lasted for hours. Glorfindel could not hear a word, and was getting bored. He was about to leave them be when the trio stood and started gathering their weapons. They stood facing each other, obviously hesitating on how to say farewell.

Once again, Elrohir was the first to move. He took the warrior's face in his hands, and kissed his lips softly. The kiss quickly became deep and feverish. During that time, Elladan had moved to the back of the warrior, and was caressing his shoulders and kissing his ears. Elrohir moved away, and Elladan took the warrior's mouth too. Glorfindel was aroused by the view, and remembering to give them privacy, started to leave when he realized the trio had separated, and that the twins were leaving to go back to the city. The warrior watched their departure, and when they were out of sight, he turned to where Glorfindel was hiding.

Can he see me? he wondered. The warrior went back to the forest where he had come from, and Glorfindel was able to leave his cover. He walked back to the city distractedly, wondering if he should report this to Lord Elrond or not.

He stopped dead in his track when he saw the point of an arrow right in front of his nose.

"Who are you? Why are you following the sons of Elrond?" asked a threatening voice.

Glorfindel watched in amazement as the warrior that Elladan and Elrohir had met was now facing him, still cloaked.

"Are you deaf or a simpleton?" he asked again.

Glorfindel had heard the twins ask this question numerous times to their enemies, and he wondered how well this stranger knew them.

"I am Glorfindel of Gondolin, Commander of the Imladris guard."

"The Balrog Slayer in person? Lowering himself to the role of spy? I would be ashamed if I were you."

Under the disapproval, Glorfindel blushed with anger. Who was this ellon to judge him so hastily?

A bird cried in the night, and the warrior dropped his guard for half-a-second. This was enough time for Glorfindel to take control of the situation. He punched the warrior hard in the stomach, and pushed him to the ground, where he crushed him under his weight.

The hood had fallen, and Glorfindel realized he had attacked a female, before he got violently projected against a tree, hitting his head hard.

When he regained consciousness, he was tied to said tree. He tried to free himself, but the rope became tighter.

"It is enchanted," said a voice behind him. "The more you struggle, the tighter it gets."

Glorfindel immediately stopped moving. The female walked around the tree and stopped in front of him. Now that he had seen her face once, she had dropped her hood.

Glorfindel watched her features eagerly. He had not imagined what he had seen before. She was a female version of the twins. Same eyes, same features, but with a feminine touch. Glorfindel always had thought Elrond's sons were exceptionally gorgeous. A dark kind of beauty, enhanced by their warrior skills and aura of mystery. But this elleth... she was magnificent. Arwen Evenstar's beauty faded in comparison.

"I repeat my question. Why were you following the sons of Lord Elrond?"

"I do not have to answer."

"No, you don't. But are you ready to face the consequences?"

He held her cold gaze for the longest time. He started worrying when a cruel smile appeared on her face, and that her right hand started glowing blue.

"This is your last chance, Glorfindel of Gondolin. Will you take it?"

"I am not afraid of you." Truth be told, he was a little, but he was not going to admit it.

"How courageous you are, Commander," she said in a seductive tone, her face getting much closer to his. Her left hand started caressing his face, and she gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"It is a shame to damage such a handsome face," she continued. When she applied her glowing right hand on his forehead, he felt a burning sensation.

"What did you do to me?" he screamed, struggling while the rope became even tighter around his chest. The reminder calmed him immediately.

"I gave you what you deserved!" she replied. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Glorfindel of Gondolin. Farewell!"

She left him tied to the tree, alone in the middle of the forest, his forehead painful and his arms and shoulders stiff.

Elrond was worried. His sons had shown up at breakfast, but Glorfindel was nowhere to be found. When he also missed lunch, he knew something had happened. He asked Erestor to organize a search party.

"Our Commander left the palace last night, on a mission for Lord Elrond. He was last seen entering the forest. He should have been back by now, and we are afraid he might have encountered a party of orcs," Erestor told the guards.

He saw the sons of Elrond pass by, and called after them.

"Lords Elladan and Elrohir, will you not join the search party?"

"When and where did Glorfindel disappear?" Elrohir asked.

Erestor repeated the story for their benefit. The twins looked at each other, and told Erestor they would participate.

When the guards started to divide the search area, the twins made sure that the area where they had been last night was allocated to them.

They heard his curses first. They entered a small clearing and found him, tied to a tree. Glorfindel looked at them expectantly when he saw them. They were the last ellyn he would have liked to be saved by under the circumstances, but his whole body was painful, and he was hungry and tired.

"Will you not untie me?" he asked immediately. "I have been attacked by a witch! I have to report this to your father!"

"Would you say she attacked you, or that you offended her in a way or another?" Elladan asked smugly.

"Elladan Elrondion, untie me immediately! I am still your Commander!"

"I rather like what she did to your forehead," added Elrohir.

"What did she do?" Glorfindel asked.

"It is nothing but the truth, though," commented Elladan for his brother's benefit. "Let's free him so he can go discover the extend of her sense of humor."

They untied him, and Glorfindel massaged his painful limbs.

"You can go now, I can manage from there."

"Oh no, Commander, we have been asked to find you and bring you back to the city, and we will see this mission through."

They want me humiliated. They know I have been sent to watch them last night.

They did not exchange a word until they reached the palace, where everyone was staring at Glorfindel in disbelief. He was wondering what was wrong with his forehead, but was too proud to ask, and acted as if all was well until he got introduced in Elrond's office.

Elrond was working with Erestor when his chamberlain announced the arrival of Lord Glorfindel and his sons. He dropped his feather and sat back on his chair, relieved to hear his commander was safe and sound.

Their eyes grew wide when they caught a first glance of Glorfindel. On his forehead, engraved in a way that must be very painful, were three letters. SPY.

"Glorfindel!" cried Elrond, standing. "What happened to you? Did my sons do this to you?"

"No, my Lord. Your sons did not do this." He kept to himself that the twins had tried to ridicule him. He would make them pay later.

"Who did this then?" asked Erestor.

"A witch that is wandering about in our woods, my Lord."

The twins snorted loudly.

"Yes, Adar, a terrifying witch. A dark witch that came back from the dead!" Elrohir said, on a somewhat menacing tone to his father. Elrond sat down, astounded, speechless.

Glorfindel was watching the scene in bewilderment. Elladan was now hovering over Erestor, who couldn't hold his gaze.

"So she is back," Erestor simply said to no one in particular.

"Yes, Councilor, she is back in Middle Earth!" Elladan confirmed.

"And now, she is being sent on a the most dangerous mission you can imagine. It is folly. I hope you both are proud of you!" continued Elrohir. "Needless to say, forgiveness is impossible. We are going back with the Dunedain tonight. At least, with them, we have found an honesty that doesn't exist here in Imladris."

"Farewell, my Lords." Elladan added formally. They both bowed to the three lords, and left Elrond's study.

Glorfindel watched as Elrond and Erestor tried to comfort each other. The Lord of Imladris was breathing with difficulty, and Erestor called the chamberlain so he could ask for a calming herbal tea to the healers.

A healer soon arrived with the tea, and made sure Elrond fell asleep before he was brought to his bed. When the healer noticed Glorfindel's forehead, he left the room and came back with various potions to wash it and treat it. Once he was done, Glorfindel went to a mirror to look at himself, and was horrified to see he would forever have a scar that declared him as felon spy.

"Maybe Mithrandir can do something about it," offered Erestor.

Seeing Erestor was slowly recovering from the shock, Glorfindel sat beside Elrond's bed, where the councilor was sitting.

"Who is she, Erestor?"

"Elleniel. The third child. They were triplets, did you know that?"

"Yes, I had heard. But did she not die at a tender age?"

"That was the story we invented. Only Elrond and Celebrian, Saruman and Mithrandir, and myself know what really happened to her. Although I am sure Galadriel and Celeborn know the truth. And now the twins. We ceaselessly told them she was in the Halls of Mandos, but they never believed us. They kept saying they still felt her fëa. They were right. She was alive."

"What happened to her?"

"I am not sure I can tell you, my old friend."

"Tell him," Elrond, now awake, said with a weak voice. "It is time for the truth to come out."

"During her pregnancy, Lady Celebrian kept saying she was feeling strange. That something was happening in her stomach, but she couldn't quite describe it in words. Mithrandir was called for support. When he arrived in Imladris, Lady Celebrian was ten months into her pregnancy. He asked to touch her stomach, and she accepted. She undressed in front of him and Elrond, and Mithrandir put his hand on her belly."

"Immediately, we saw her stomach jerk, as if a child was moving violently inside her womb. Her skin started glowing a light blue, on the exact spot where his hand was," started Elrond. "He left his hand there for some time, and when he removed it, he turned to my wife and I with a strange air. He announced that a powerful elfling was in her stomach. That the only time he had felt such a thing was when Galadriel's naneth was pregnant. But even then, the surge of power he had gotten was weak as compared to what he had just felt."

Lost in his memories, Elrond stopped talking, and Erestor took over.

"Elrond was uneasy to say the least. Lady Celebrian was comfortable with the thought, having been raised by Galadriel herself, she was not scared at all. She started talking about her little wizard, convinced she was carrying three sons."

"You knew there would be three elflings?" asked Glorfindel.

"Yes, I could clearly feel them when touching her stomach," replied Elrond. "The birth was long and painful, but Celebrian eventually gave me Elladan first, then Elrohir. Elleniel came quickly after. Celebrian was so happy to have an elleth. At the beginning, the triplets could not stand being apart, so we got an enormous crib and the three of them slept together. After a month, we still had to determine who was the wizard or witch between the three. Things were happening around the crib, but which one was doing them? Erestor suggested to separate them until we found out."

"lady Celebrian took Elladan to her room, Lord Elrond took Elrohir in his study, and I brought Elleniel in my own study. And we waited," said Erestor. "The ellyn woke first, and started to cry. They were inconsolable. But Elleniel was still sleeping. When she woke and saw she was alone, she started crying softly. But after an hour, she seemed to realize her brothers were not coming back. She became angry. She was glowing! Things started to fly everywhere. My books, my ink bottles crashing on the floor and walls! I cried for help! I had found the witch!"

"During the first few years, everything went well. At least when we did not irritate Elleniel. She was getting everything she wanted from everyone," continued Erestor. "The triplets were extremely close to each other. They were touchy, if you see what I mean. When they reached the age of twenty, Lady Celebrian warned us that she was not comfortable anymore with how the triplets were behaving with each other."

"What was wrong?"

"One evening, she went to Elleniel's bedroom for a goodnight kiss. They were all sleeping in the same bed."

"Was that wrong?" asked Glorfindel.

"Not in itself. But she had also caught them... kissing."

"Kissing?" asked Glorfindel, in need of clarification.

"Deep, open-mouthed kisses. We did not know what to do. I asked them what they thought they were doing. I explained it was wrong between siblings. Elladan told me the fëa they shared was reinforced when they kissed like this. Once again, we called Mithrandir for help. He confirmed that since they shared a fëa, this fëa was being stretched to its limits by being split into three elves. The triplets needed to reinforce it regularly, like mates strengthen their bonds when they make love. Celebrian asked if they would ever go one step further, and have sex together. Mithrandir was affirmative. If we wanted to avoid having bound brothers and sister, we needed to separate them immediately."

"We had to choose," Erestor took over, "and I am afraid I did the choice myself. I told Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian that Elleniel was the issue. That if we sent away Elladan or Elrohir, nothing you stop the remaining male to bind with her. Shortly after, Elleniel was sent for a horse ride with Mithrandir. They met with Saruman, who kept Elleniel's power in check while Mithrandir came back to Imladris to announce they had been attacked by orcs. That was all we found to explain the lack of body."

"Funerals were organized, and our grief was genuine, since we had no idea when we would see her again. Mithrandir left shortly after, bringing Elleniel to an unknown destination. To this day, he never gave us any news about her. He only said she is still alive."

Erestor was done with the story. Glorfindel was shocked that such a secret could have been kept for so long, without having an impact on the family, and he voiced his thought.

Elrond snorted. "Glorfindel, this family has never been the same since her departure. Celebrian missed her daughter dearly, and Arwen did not compensate for her absence. A new child will never replace the lost one. When Celebrian was attacked by orcs, she started fading, thinking she was living the fate we had created for our own daughter. She sailed to the Undying Lands shortly after. Arwen moved to Lothlorien and was raised by Galadriel. The triplets became the twins. They always said they did not believe that she was dead, that they could still feel her fëa. They looked for her all over Middle Earth, but with no results. What they did not know was that we are responsible for the situation. All these millennia, they thought she had miraculously escaped an orc attack. You saw their reaction today, once they learned the truth from her. I am afraid I have lost them all now."

"We will find a way, my Lord," Erestor said. "We can call Mithrandir. He will help us see clearly."

Elrond agreed. He then turned to Glorfindel. "How is she, Glorfindel? My daughter. Please tell me."

"She is the most beautiful elleth I have ever seen in all my existence. Believe me, I do not exaggerate. She looks unnaturally like Elladan and Elrohir, in a softer version. Although when I have seen her, her expression was not soft. She was more... coldly angry, I would say," he added, pointing to his forehead.

Elrond insisted to hear the whole encounter, and when Glorfindel was done, he was dismissed so he could go rest and have dinner.

"The prospects are not too positive, my old friend," Elrond said to Erestor who had remained with him.

"I wonder what is this dangerous mission that Elrohir was mentioning."

"Erestor, I need Mithrandir here quickly. Please make sure he is summoned here immediately."

"I will, my Lord."

Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed the first chapter!