This is my first fanfic so please let me know what you think. If there are any words left in Elvish, Khuzdul, or any other language, there will be translations in the bottom comment section as well as any songs that I include. I plan for this to be a long story so I hope you enjoy and stick with me through the long haul.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

*Elvish*

/Khuzdul/

Music (centered)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything created by Tolkien. I only take credit for my OCs and the deviations from the story we all know and love.

Chapter 1

~The Journey Begins~


Rain. Cold. Hunger.

The splatting rain echos around as a stomach growls in the shadows. A girl stumbles from in the dark. Her hands shake as she tries to rub them together for some kind of warmth. Her breath turns to frost in the air. The world swirls and she stagers to a rough wall, cutting her hands. She looks into the puddle at her feet. Her matted white hair and lavender eyes staring back at her. She runs her hand across the scar along her left cheek as the world starts to go fuzzy.

'Just count Rhiannon. 1, 2, 3… 1, 2, 3… Breathe in, Breathe out.'

She slides down the wall and wraps her arms around her knees. The city is bustling, but the sounds fade away as it starts to downpour.

Rain. Cold. Hunger.

'If I stay here, I'll freeze to death. I have to keep moving.'

Slowly, she lifts herself up off the ground and makes it to the mouth of the alley. No one notices her as she focuses on taking one step after another but she starts to sway shakily. All of a sudden, the ground is coming up to meet her. She vaguely notices the headlights and horn of a car before everything fades to black.


Suddenly everything is quiet. She slowly open her eyes and sees a pearly ceiling. Gazing around, she looks out at a vast, dark ocean lit by moonlight. Raising slowly, she sits up on the lounge chair she was resting on in the middle of what seems to be a large balcony. Alabaster columns and railings encircle the the edge and the onyx floors feel like they are swirling. The waves crash against the shore far below.

"Finally awake my dear?"

Rhiannon sharply turn to see a woman cloaked in the shadows, the only distinguishable features at this distance is her pewter grey dress and ashen cloak. And of course how tall she was, 'I'm 5' 7"... she must at least be 7 feet tall!'.

She looks the woman up and down in wonder, "Who are you?"

"I will tell you in a while, for now let me check you over, traveling between worlds can be very stressful."

The mystery woman takes a few steps forward and slowly removes her hood. Rhiannon gasps at the woman's beauty. Her skin shines like the moon, except for the teardrop markings under her eyes that shine like sapphires, and her hair flows from over her shoulders like starlight wrapped in silk. The most striking feature was her eyes; the color of smoke and seeming to hold the wisdom and sorrow of centuries.

"Let me take a look at you." She helps the girl take off her backpack and hoodie.

Rhiannon sits up straight and places her feet on the floor. Her shirt and jeans cling to her from the storm she was in just moments ago noticing it is seeping into the lounge, 'I should get up before I ruin it.'

She starts to stand but the woman raises her hand to stop her.

The lady smiles sweetly, "Do not worry about it my dear, the rain will not affect the chair."

"H-how did you…?", the girl stutters with awe.

A secret smile plays upon the woman's face before continuing, "As I said before, you will learn all in due time… that is, if you chose one of the paths set before you."

She inspects the girl's arms and hands.

"You seem to not have major physical injuries, minor scrapes and weariness", her smile slowly becomes saddened, "your emotional scares however are not so easily healed, but time would be able to mend those well."

She passes her hands over the cuts on the girl's palms, stitching them back together.

The girl quickly turns her hands over, inspecting them in shock, "How is this possible? What are you?"

"The more important question is which path you will chose to take."

Stopping her inspection, the girl looks suspiciously at the woman, "You keep mentioning a path. Where am I and what are these paths you are talking about?"

The lady draws up to her full height, resting her folded hands against her flowing skirt.

"I cannot tell you all I know, but I will give you the simplest answers that I can. You, Rhiannon Heddwyn, are at a crossroads and the decision you take here will not only affect your life but all of those who you would meet along the way. Your choices set before you is accept your fate from your old world or to create a new future for yourself in this one."

Rhiannon nervously thinks about her last memories before waking here, "And what, exactly, is my um… fate in my world?"

With a sad smile the lady sits next to the girl and grasps her hand, "My dear, your story in that world came to a close."

"A close?"

"If you were to choose to go back to your old world, you would pass on into the afterlife."

Rhiannon pulls her hand away from the woman and stands quickly, "How could you say that? I'm standing right here, breathing, thinking, how can you say that I'm dead?"

She paces back and forth, her shoes squeaking on the smooth floor, and wrings her hands.

"My sweet Rhiannon—"

"This has to be a dream, I passed out on some sidewalk somewhere and am hallucinating. You aren't real, none of this is real. It can't be!"

"You must calm your mind, this does not have to be an ending for you, but a wondrous beginning and the chance for an even brighter future. I know your feeling scared and your past has been—"

Rhiannon immediately stop pacing and look down at the woman where she sits on the lounge. Her's hands clench into fists.

"Stop! You don't know anything! How on Earth could you know anything about how I am feeling?! Not even an hour ago I was in the streets fighting for my life, you know nothing about what my life has been like."

The woman stands with the regality of a queen and pins down the waterlogged girl with a look.

"Rhiannon. I understand that this anger comes from grief for your lost future in that world, confusion at your current state, and fear for what lies ahead. Your mind may be muddled now but you must heed my words for they are the truth."

The lady's words are filled with an unearthly power that seems to pull the air out of the room. Though Rhiannon is still confused by everything that's happening, she feel a sense of peace and hope wash over everything.

She doesn't say anything as the lady slowly comes closer and lifts the girl's face, "You wanted to know who I am when you first awoke, do you still wish to know?"

Properly chastised, Rhiannon only nods her head, eyes downcast.

"My dear, you know my name, although you do not know that I belong to it."

"How do I know you?"

"From the stories of your world, one particularly that is near and dear to your heart. One created by many voices melding together with that of the creator Eru."

"Eru?"

All the books, poems, and songs Rhiannon has ever heard or read throughout her life run through her mind. She combs though their lores, trying to remember every detail possible.

'He's not from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the Irish and Celtic songs my mother taught me before she…', She closes her eyes in pain taking a deep breath before continuing to think on it, ' he's surely not some wizard from Harry Potter…'

Sighing, she look out the window and notices the moon seeming to set on the horizon.

'It's getting really late…', something starts nagging at the edge of her mind, 'wizards… late… a wizard is never late…'

Suddenly everything clicks into place. She looks at the woman in shock.

"Wait wait wait… Middle Earth?! You mean to tell me I am in Middle Earth? Right now? I am in a fictional world? Right now?! H-how is this possible? I thought it was make believe! Fiction!"

She laughs softly at the girl's shock and energy. "Well, we are not technically in what you know as Middle Earth, we are currently in my halls located in Valinor."

She grasps both of the girl's hands in hers. Rhiannon looks into the lady's eyes, seeing ancient wisdom swirling in their depths.

"My dear sweet child, I am known to those in Middle Earth as Nienna, the Lady of Mercy, Pity, and Mourning."

Everything seems to stop.

"Lady Nienna? THE Lady Nienna? The Valar who wept over the Two Trees and helped bring the Sun and Moon into existence? The one who turns grief into hope? Are you serious?"

Nienna smiles at her with appreciation and humor, "Yes, I am indeed serious and impressed by your detailed knowledge about our history. But, my young one, you are forgetting something far more important than my identity."

"What can be more important than me meeting one of the guardians of one of my favorite worlds?"

She leads Rhiannon back to sit on the lounge. Nienna's voice rings with hope, "Becoming part of a story with an ending of needless sorrow and turning it into one of hope. That is why I used my power to call you here at the exact moment you would move into this world most easily… though it does grieve me that you had to go through so much in your life in the meantime."

Rhiannon turns away, her eyes start to tear up, "…you know of my past?"

Neinna gently rests her hand against the cheek farthest from her to pull Rhiannon's face to look at her. She notices the tears slowly building in the girl's eyes and brushes them away with a sad and knowing smile.

"Yes my dear, I know of your father, your mother, and how hard this past year has been on you. But I can also see the hope in the future you would shape if you choose to be a part of this story."

"You said I could help end needless sorrow, who would I be helping? What point in time would I come into the story?"

"I can not tell you that for even I am not certain, my knowledge stems from Eru Ilúvatar wishing for this change. He allowed my brother, Mandos, and his wife, Vairë, to allow me to gaze upon the ending of one of our tales told in your world. I do not know what path you will need to take on this journey, just that if you chose to, you shall become a defining part of the fate of Arda and the fates of those you will meet."

Rhiannon tries to process everything she is being told, 'This all sounds so crazy…'

The Lady tucks a strand of Rhiannon's hair behind her ear before taking a breath and continuing, "I must tell you before you choose your path, that even if you want to take up this journey, nothing can be guaranteed. Once you choose this world, the path ahead will not be set in stone. Some things you will be able to change everything, others only small details."

Rhiannon stand and walk to the windows, thinking seriously over what she has been told. She leans against the columns and looks back at Nienna.

The Valar's eyes turn very serious, "I must also tell you that just because you decide to choose this path does not secure your life. The dangers in this world are very real and you will be facing them at every turn along your way. The pains both physical and emotional that you have faced till now will be nothing compared to those that await you, there may even be times you wish for death instead of continuing on."

Rhiannon thinks of all the times she cried over the stories of Lúthien and Beren, Frodo Baggins the ring-bearer, the Quest for Erebor. Remembering with dread the things that she would have to face, 'In this world, there is pure evil... Morgoth, Sauron, Orcs, Goblins, War... I will see people die and will have to fight and kill if I want to survive... How can I face all of that?'

"This choice is yours alone. I have told you the dangers and possibilities the journey can have, but not of your other option. You can choose to let your own story end within your old world. You will be able to pass on in peace and with no pain, no longer worrying over you past or your future."

Suddenly all Rhiannon can see is her mother's smile, the Celtic lullabies she sang, baking sweets together, her laughter as they ran around the house, and finally the last moments before her mother passed away.

Nienna's voice radiates power as she says, "You and you alone can choose, whether you take up the journey or pass on in peace. You will not be able to linger in Valinor for infinity, so think carefully. Once you choose your route, you may not take it back. I shall leave you to your thoughts. Let me know once you have decided."

She turns away walking through one of the grand archways leading further into her halls, giving Rhiannon the privacy of the balcony to decide what to do.

She turns her gaze to the sea.

'I have the chance to not only read or watch my favorite story, but to be a part of it. Yet the idea of facing something pure evil that's trying to kill me…', a familiar shiver of fear goes down her spine.

'On the other hand, I could choose to see my mother again… It feels like ages since I saw her…'

She closes her eyes, her mind reeling with the weight of what she must choose.

'How can Lady Nienna possibly think I can do this? I couldn't even stand up to my father let alone a dark lord of pure evil… I'm just one girl who has nothing and no one. I can't even know I will survive let alone succeed in making it to the end of the story let alone saving anyone. Who knows, instead of helping for the better, maybe I end up making the ending even worse…And what I would give to see my mother again, smiling at me like she always did. To hear her voice and speak to her has been was all I could've asked for over this past year…'

Her thoughts trail on and on as she raises her eyes to the moon setting on the edge of the water, 'Morning is almost here, time is running out…'

Her mother's voice spears though the thoughts, 'My darling lass'

She sees her mother on her deathbed, the last night they spoke…

'You must not weep for me, I got to spend my days with you, the greatest blessing I was given in this life. Do not loose yourself in this pain, there will come a time when you will have to choose to keep pushing forward or to give up. Do you remember what I've always told you sweetie?'

Rhiannon takes a shaky breath and quietly whisper the motto her mother truly lived by.

"Opportunities are like sunrises, if you wait too long, you will miss them."

Her mother's voice rings out again, 'That's right my love. Never be afraid to take a leap into the unknown, you have the strength within you to face anything'

Tears stream down her face remembering the hug they shared afterwards, "Thank you mom, I miss you so much…"

Turning from the sea, she walks into the hallway and into a grand room. Tapestries hang from the walls in remembrance, some of the stories Rhiannon knows, like that of Lúthien grieving for Beren at Mandos' feet, and others that she does not. She sees Lady Nienna resting on a beautiful throne that looks like it is made of pearl.

"My dear, have you made your choice? Will it be a journey? Or the forever peace?"

Taking a deep breath, the girl steels herself before saying her choice. She wipes away any trace of her tears and smile excitedly at the Lady, "I'm ready for a quite unexpected journey."

Lady Nienna stand and walks over to Rhiannon. She smiles warmly at the girl before embracing her.

"My dear girl, your courage and love for this world and those who live in it will be your guides on this journey. Trust in yourself and you will accomplish many things. I will also insure that you will not be unarmed in your endeavors."

The air hums as she begins to speak in Quenya, "Quellë rillë yávio kale carnë rinquaresse nai stephano lalaith khilai vanave rómen nuin helka hrívë tenne tuilë londe."

She flashes a radiant smile and kisses Rhiannon's forehead.

"Go with my blessing dear one, your path is a great one. Take care my child and safe journey."

Rhiannon can't help but smile, excited to see the world fade away into mist and laughingly says,

"Let the journey begin!"


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Quellë rillë yávio, kale carnë rinquaresse, nai stephano lalaith, khilai vanave rómen, nuin helka hrívë, tenne tuilë londe

Fading Brilliance of Autumn, Shine red in December, May laughter be hers, May it follow the one fair-haired like sunrise, Under the ice-cold Winter, Unto a Spring Haven

"An Elvish Blessing" is the creation of Lucia Deetz on Youtube.