Disclaimer :

lilith: " we are on the brink of destruction

none can escape it

we will unite or we will fall

this story must be thrown back in to the fluffy chiasm whence it came"

samfior: "one can not simply write a fanfiction

its pink gates are guarded by more than just rewievers

there are girls there who do not sleep

and the fluffy puppy eyes ever watchful

not with 20.000 words could we do it

it is folly"

lilith: " right,... well,... we don't own anything."

samfior: " but i wanna..."

lilith: "no, you be quite!"

samfior: "but..."

lilith: " no!"

ON SILENT WINGS

After the war of the ring there seems to be an emptiness in lands, whose people once united for the greatest deed of all times. Although many alliances have been renewed and tightened the memory of the dead and the journey of elves to the undying lands was casting a shadow of sorrow over the people of middle earth that no one can escape. Change was in the air but people were unwilling to oblige. Broken homes, empty fields, lonely maidens, fatherless children were not a rare site to be seen.

As the time passed slowly the heavy air began to lighten up. They worked together as they once did and remade the homes which were burned rebuild the cities which were ruined. Dwarves from far away came to the aid of people. Heavy stoneworking was made. Northern kingdoms send mercenaries and ambassadors to the lands who fought and lost so much in the war.

And finally southern and eastern kingdoms who were once slaves to Sauron's will began making peace treaties with the West. Some failed some succeeded but our story focuses on one alliance which was surprising and even shocking to many. The peace treaty between two cities; Eryn Lasgalen and the eastern city of Rhuin. Rhuin was a city of men west to the sea of Rhun. This small kingdom has allways been seen as a foe to Western world for it was believed to have many dealings with Sauron. Rhuinien didn't play an actual part in the war like the Haradrim did since they didn't have an army or the wish to be driven into war unless its absolutely necessary but they supplied many things for Him and the army he was breeding behind the closed gates of Mordor. Out of fear they've done so for many centuries. As the shadow of Sauron passed away they wanted to have what they lost a long time ago...peace with the West.

Chapter 1 : The Messenger and the Lady

King Rhanor slowly put aside his book and walked to the door which led into a large garden. There he remained for a long time thinking and talking to himself even cursing sometimes. His restlessness was so apparent it could be sensed from afar.

" Sire, the messenger you're waiting just came, should I call him? " said Bran, who was working for the king for more than 30 years as a servant.

" You know very well that you should! "shouted the king. Bran no longer cared for his angry bursts since he knew his king very well. Yes he had a bit of temper when stressed but he knew in his heart he didn't mean any evil and it was a stressful time indeed for he had to deal with many ambassadors sent to him. Although he didn't participate in the negotiations between the ambassadors and his king, he knew things weren't going as good as he hoped.

"What are you still doing here? Get me that cursed messenger! " shouted the king again. With that Bran quickly turned and hurried to the hallway, where a messenger indeed was waiting and heard the conversation between them.

"Thank you for waiting Master Elf, my Lord Rhanor will accept you in the Spring Garden"

The Elf who was sent by King Thranduil, Lord of Eryn Lasgalen, once called Mirkwood, was Dregonas, second in command to Thranduil and he was most seriously displeased with the King's last remark of being him 'cursed'. He knew that people had no control over their tongue like the elven kind did but he wouldn't tolerate such words especially coming from a foe. He was called upon by the King Rhanor himself to start the peace negotiations between the two kingdoms and since Lord Thranduil gave him full permission to do as he judged to be right he was going to give that man a hard time.

"If this is how you are going to welcome a Messenger you yourself called for, King Rhanor, one can only wonder if you wouldn't be better off continuing your alliance with the Dark Realms instead of Woodelves you just 'cursed' ? "

Rhanor was more than startled as he heard the elf spoke. "I'm glad that the Elvish people are essentially good beings, since you would have made amazing assassins if needed. I didn't hear you come as I didn't know that you were in a position you could have heard me saying that unfortunate word. Please accept my apologies from the heart and believe when I say this, that we've never made alliances with the dark lands to begin with" said the King and added " But let me pardon myself by inviting you to join me and mine for dinner and let us continue this after, since you came a long way and you must be tired, Master Elf " with that the King put his hand on Dregonas's shoulder and called for Bran to show him the way to his quarters.

Dregonas followed Bran through the halls and alleys of the king's home. To his suprise, he saw that the palace was build and decorated in such an elegant and beautiful fashion close to the elven halls in its grace. He saw that nearly every door on his way led to a small garden, which was filled with many kinds of blooming flowers and little fountains and springs which nourish them. "Secret heavens for everyone" he murmured and felt in peace for the first time since he arrived to this foreign land. Walls were painted and carved and told little stories of love, war and great deeds of men. The very floor he was walking on had fissures, in which water is flowing freely. He saw people gathering and laughing in these little gardens, talking and singing to each other and he wondered how a beautiful place with such merry people such as this became one of the servants of the Dark Lord.

Bran continued leading the Elf down the halls. As he turned around he saw that Dregonas wasn't following him. Instead he was transfixed with what he saw in a garden. Astonishment washed over Dregonas as he inspected the sculptures in the garden. They were made of some shiny stone that he only heard in the stories of old. Bright green reflections made his eyes loose focus and the light formed an aura around the shapes of the sculptures. The sculptures were of maidens and dragons that were chasing them and he wondered if something like that really happened.

"My Lord, Dregonas? "said Bran as he approached him.

"Prey tell me, King's servant, are these the infamous 'Rosarhun' that the Elder talked about in awe but only a few living had the pleasure of seeing "

" Yes my Lord, they are. Made of Rhuna, which is only found in these lands. Precious they are since nothing but a diamond and a keen eye can carve it and they have a natural glow by themselves. Rhunians master the art of Rhuna over the centuries and now we can make anything of it even armors like the Masters of Moria do of mithril..."

"I believed along with my people that the old art of Rhuna faded and its secrets were no longer known to men. I am so glad that this belief proved to be wrong since I didn't see such enchanting beauty in my long years on this earth."

"If my Lord allows me to explain why we had to keep this work hidden from the rest of the world?"

"Please tell "said Dregonas still unable to look anywhere else but the Rosarhun. He was more than intrigued about this craft and wanted to know everthing about it so he could tell on at home to his fellow people of Eryn Lasgalen.

"My Lord, like Mithril, Rhuna is a fine and strong material, even more handy since it really has little in weight. It doesn't break or bend even the strongest of swords tries to crash it. The perfect material for making weapons of war and armour as you can imagine. We feared if we let that information go to the world our kingdom will be invaded by Sauron just to get hold of the Rhuna mines. Also since his minions are unable to work on such fine art which needs heavy expertise he would have enslaved us to make his needs. So we kept it a secret. No outsider knew that we still in secrecy continued our research and work on Rhune. But today Sauron's hand on our throat is loose and the fear is gone. We are proud to show the world our work."

It was in this moment that Dregonas became aware of a lady who had taken her sit among the trees with a heavy tome. It was clear to him that she wanted to stay out of sight. His walk had brought them too close to her and her sanctuary was breached. She got up slowly, placed her book on a near bench and approached them.

Upon seeing her, the servant bowed lightly and spoke:

"My Lady! This is the elven ambassador from the Woodland realm, Master Dregonas. Master elf this is our beloved princess, Lady Rin. She is the only daughter of our King."

Hearing this words the look on the lady's face softened and she bowed.

"We have been waiting for you most anxiously My Lord. It is a great honour to meet a warrior such as yourself who fought side by side with Gil-galad on the fields of Dagorlad."

The elf was taken aback by her beauty and manner. Instead of the crudeness of her father she had elegance and dignity. Her strength and wisdom was plain to see, he was sure, even for someone not from elven kind. 'She should be 20 or a little older. So young, so very young...Still she is far more wiser than her years' he thought 'Beautiful too'. She was wearing a long white dress with flowers embedded on its hem. Her dark brown hair was falling in waves untill her waist and had little pins made of Rhune holding her waves together. Her high cheekbones and the shapely eyebrows added to her composure and her noble descent could be sensed from afar.

Once again he felt that the waves of calmness come over him, never had he thought he would meet with someone in possession of such a grace in this land. He was one of the few elves who still had faith in mankind. He always had tried to teach this to his nephew Legolas and was quite proud of him for his part in the War of Ring. But even he did not dare to believe that such a rare flower could bloom in a place under the watch of the Great Eye of the purest of evil.

He bowed gracefully and returned her smile. "It is me, My Lady who is honoured to make your acquaintance."

After hearing his kind words her eyes shined even brighter if that was possible and he became aware of their colour for the first time. They were like pieces from sculptures he just admired.

She turned to the servant and spoke gently. "Were you accompanying our guest to his room, Bran? Let me relieve you of your burden and take your task upon me."

Bran hesitated, it was quite uncommon for the princess to take over such a duty. But he gave up, trusting his lady and leaved with a curt bow.

"I believe one of the rooms on the western wing was prepared for your arrival Master Elf. In the early morning when the first sunray hits the earth you may see the Misty Mountains from your window. I hope that it would lessen your longing for your home." said Rin as she observed Dregonas. He had the grace and beauty of an elf, that is for sure, but Rin could sense something else in him. His blue eyes shined with gentleness and understanding and he possessed a strong and wise expression on his face. 'Most incredibly handsome' she thought and added to herself 'Most incredibly old too'. He had his long and dark golden hair braided on both sides. His attire seemed somewhat casual for an elf of his status but that was aceptable since it was most probably his riding suit. A green and long cloak was hiding most of his figure but she could see the brown leggings and the deep blue shirt on which fine golden marks of leaves and trees were embedded. 'Yes, here is a man who is far worthy than anyone that comes and goes in these halls, he is generous, a good man also, I can feel it, he will help us I am sure now' thought Rin.

Dregonas waited still until the inspections of the Lady finished. She was looking at him for some time now and he wondered what she was thinking. Dregonas could say that she was troubled somehow but decided not to ask her about it, let her come to tell him when she is ready.

Suddenly he heard Rin saying "Please do follow me my Lord."

Dregonas had felt the hesitation of the servant letting her lady do his job and frankly he also was amazed when the offer was made by the maiden.

"You are giving me great honour but I am not sure if I do deserve to be escorted by the Lady of the house."

It was Rin's turn to look astounded "How can you say that?" she exclaimed, "I have been waiting too long for a messenger like yourself to take my land out of the dark. You're the only hope left. My father is not highly known for his skill in negotiations. Because of that I fear that all the talks were in vain since Gondor, Rohan all the great kingdoms want us to pay high mortages for peace." She stopped like she was trying to compose herself and said the next sentence in one breath. "You are our only hope to become an honourable nation again. A pact with Thranduillions is the one thing which can increase my people's credibility."

She stopped and looked at Dregonas. He saw great hope and respect in her eyes and recognized then that she indeed carried a great wisdom and care for her people. 'It is a shame indeed' he thought 'Despite of all her caring, other nations will held hers as a foe' . Such a noble heart imprisoned in a land like this with a father like hers… He felt a need deep in himself to comfort her, protect this young soul.

But before he could say something, she had turned away. He could see a faint blush on her cheeks. Then he heard her soft voice:

"Forgive me My Lord you have not come all this way to talk to me about politics. You must be tired. Let me take you to your chambers for a well earned rest."

They did not talk for the rest of the way. When they came in front of a grand wooden door embedded with gems, she bowed lightly and excused herself. Dregonas could not help himself and asked: "I will be seeing your Grace by dinner, won't I? I would very much like to talk to you more."

A smile forming on her lips she bowed again and silently left him to his own thoughts.