Prologue
There is little in this world that is immortal. There is little in fantasies that can live forever. There are many minds filled with sorrow that have not overcome the deaths that they have witnessed.
Few creatures have not witnessed death. Those that have not yet, are weak in the heart. Death is something that the creator made to make us stronger. And in the end, we take with our fate the pride of knowledge, intelligence, and the reasons that we have made ourselves for things that are only found in death.
Children are sometimes born dead, or born to die. As are many creatures. Plants live for maybe a year at the most. Trees are gifted to live for thousands of years. The race of men however, live for but a hundred years at a time, if their lucky.
Middle-Earth is a place where these lessons of life are most important, although none of the creatures that dwell in this land know of it. Except for those who are wise beyond their years, they wonder about life, and even devote their life to finding out the truth.
Many creatures know of life to the west of Middle-Earth, but few know of any land that is either beyond that life, or behind. Only the few in the race of elves, dwarves, and others that nearly none may know about. The race of men was barren of this gift to see the lands beyond, and those who could, did not have the courage or the strength to tell. For they were weak in the soul or spirit. Their minds are twisted, and what they speak does not come out as they intend. They either be killed by people who believe they are the curses of the underworld, or they take their own knife to leave this world, out of their insanity.
But what if the worlds of beyond weren't so secret? What if they were given to special lives that could tell of the heavens and the hells? This is a tale about a vision given by incident to a creature whose life grew to be pure torture. He hadn't wanted his life to be this way, but if there was someway to stop it, would it be performed? Would the torture and pain of the visions of the afterlife be stopped? Only if someone was brave and kind- hearted enough to rescue his king and the kingdom of a curse that could destroy them all.
Thranduil, kind of Mirkwood, father of several elf children was given this death gift. He was tortured from birth to love by visions of the underworld and the heavens. His kingdom was unaware of this curse, and so they suffered. For many enemies of Mirkwood knew of the power that the people of Mirkwood didn't. Many sailed to the west when their part of the wood was attacked. Others traveled to Rivendell, seeking housing for them or their family. Others traveled the lands, fading into the shadowing cloak of a ranger.
However, in the defeating of their land, some stayed. Some fought back, or told king Thranduil of the attack, and he accepted them into the middle-kingdom of Mirkwood.
Thranduil felt so guilty of this burden and felt it in his bones. He felt the stretch of his insides and the tear through his heart. After years of Mirkwood's elf population falling to other lands, he decided it was time to admit the horrible curse to his family and his kingdom.
There is little in this world that is immortal. There is little in fantasies that can live forever. There are many minds filled with sorrow that have not overcome the deaths that they have witnessed.
Few creatures have not witnessed death. Those that have not yet, are weak in the heart. Death is something that the creator made to make us stronger. And in the end, we take with our fate the pride of knowledge, intelligence, and the reasons that we have made ourselves for things that are only found in death.
Children are sometimes born dead, or born to die. As are many creatures. Plants live for maybe a year at the most. Trees are gifted to live for thousands of years. The race of men however, live for but a hundred years at a time, if their lucky.
Middle-Earth is a place where these lessons of life are most important, although none of the creatures that dwell in this land know of it. Except for those who are wise beyond their years, they wonder about life, and even devote their life to finding out the truth.
Many creatures know of life to the west of Middle-Earth, but few know of any land that is either beyond that life, or behind. Only the few in the race of elves, dwarves, and others that nearly none may know about. The race of men was barren of this gift to see the lands beyond, and those who could, did not have the courage or the strength to tell. For they were weak in the soul or spirit. Their minds are twisted, and what they speak does not come out as they intend. They either be killed by people who believe they are the curses of the underworld, or they take their own knife to leave this world, out of their insanity.
But what if the worlds of beyond weren't so secret? What if they were given to special lives that could tell of the heavens and the hells? This is a tale about a vision given by incident to a creature whose life grew to be pure torture. He hadn't wanted his life to be this way, but if there was someway to stop it, would it be performed? Would the torture and pain of the visions of the afterlife be stopped? Only if someone was brave and kind- hearted enough to rescue his king and the kingdom of a curse that could destroy them all.
Thranduil, kind of Mirkwood, father of several elf children was given this death gift. He was tortured from birth to love by visions of the underworld and the heavens. His kingdom was unaware of this curse, and so they suffered. For many enemies of Mirkwood knew of the power that the people of Mirkwood didn't. Many sailed to the west when their part of the wood was attacked. Others traveled to Rivendell, seeking housing for them or their family. Others traveled the lands, fading into the shadowing cloak of a ranger.
However, in the defeating of their land, some stayed. Some fought back, or told king Thranduil of the attack, and he accepted them into the middle-kingdom of Mirkwood.
Thranduil felt so guilty of this burden and felt it in his bones. He felt the stretch of his insides and the tear through his heart. After years of Mirkwood's elf population falling to other lands, he decided it was time to admit the horrible curse to his family and his kingdom.