Title: Women of Middle Earth: The Book of Eledhwen
Author: Morgan Silver
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tolkiens brilliant creations.
Feedback: Highly appreciated, I will endeavor to respond to every review.
Notes: Special thanks to my betas Paper Crane and Draekon.
Chapter One: Eressë (Solitude)
Eledhwen was born under the golden trees of Lothlorien. She was not born into royalty, but rather into loneliness, and not into a place of beauty, for her life was not beautiful. Her mother, who belonged to no Elven city, died giving birth to her. It was by pure luck that, not long after her birth, she was happened upon by a concourse of men passing through. They took her with them, with many plans for her in the future.
She grew up around the men who had rescued her and felt eternally in their dept. She cared for them when they were ill, cooked for and fed them when they were hungry, and cleaned up after them when they were done. They were forever moving about it seemed that many a time she had saved their lives with her keen ears and eyes. But, even being an elf, their travels took their toll on her. Mayhap, if she had been raised by the elves in sanctity and solitude, she could have been beautiful; alas, her face showed the hardships they had endured, along with marks from creatures she would much rather forget. She looked under-nourished, enough that she had never grown to the height any normal elf, and indeed, she fell several inches lower then the men. She had cropped her hair short to make it more manageable. Down to every last feature, she looked like a mortal women and did not mind. She knew not the Elven tongue. She knew not even that there was more than one Elven language in the world. She wore the clothing of men to make travels easier and grant her the freedom to move about and defend herself. They passed many men on the roads and if they had known she was a woman, elf or mortal, the men she traveled with may not have been able to protect her. Only when in the safety of some village was she made to wear the clothing of a woman and only then to please her fellow travelers.
Long she traveled with her rescuers, then the sons of their sons. One day, she was once again without any companions and eventually made her way back to the tree she was born beneath, the same way she had arrived into this world: Alone.
She knew her journey back to the Golden Woods would be a hardship. Traveling anywhere across Middle Earth these days was dangerous, even in large groups. Eledhwen would be faring alone. Her many years with the men she had nearly considered family had taught her much about the wilds. Glancing up at the high mountain peaks, she shivered. It was all around her, the growing darkness of something unmistakably evil. No doubt, in the coming months it would rear its ugly head in the form of... something. Eledhwen's eyes returned to her invisible path through the treacherous terrain. In the coming days she would not sleep. There were far too many dark places for evil things to hide. It was times like these that she was thankful for her elven heritage. Those times were rare.
The sound of rocks clattering up ahead snapped her from her thoughts. She readied her hand upon her sword as she listened in the dimming light of the day. Most likely it was merely a small animal fleeing from the on-coming night, but Eledhwen could not afford to take chances.
Satisfied that she could hear no more noises, except those of the awaking harmless creatures of the night, she relaxed her poised arm upon the hilt of her sword and once again continued on her passage. It would be a journey indeed.
Once the darkness had fully settled, Eledhwen trusted not even her elven eyes to guide her through it. She settled down to a fireless, sleepless night, constantly alert for any dangers.
The night, thankfully, was an uneventful one. Eledhwen rose at the first signs of daybreak. She glanced about herself warily. It had been a great many days since she had left the last small village she had encountered; a great many days since she had last eaten. No plants grew in these bare mountains. But soon, she would be venturing away from them. Away from a place that always shook her to her very soul. Moria. Never would she enter such a place. Never.
She traveled for a good many hours and every now and then she could see greenery in the distance. A sound, one she knew far too well, stopped her dead in her tracks. Orcs. She was too close to an entrance inside the mountain. Her only solace was the light of day. Quickening her pace, she knew she would not be able to hold off a mass of Orcs. She must get away from the mountains before the sun set on this day.
Her haste made her careless, or perhaps it was her fear. She let out a cry of dismay when reaching an end in her path. Somewhere, she had gotten off course and she feared it would cost her dearly for the sun was low in the sky and red-orange bled across the horizon.
She would not make it out of the mountains before nightfall.
Eledhwen collapsed against a large boulder in anguish, berating herself for making such a foolish mistake. She could hear the unnerving noises of the Orcs that sounded like horrific laughter echoing against the rock walls of the mountain. She had little time. Standing quickly, she glanced up at the dead end. Far too high and smooth for even her to climb, she would have turn around and head toward the sounds that bothered her so.
She was afraid, though if she were with companions she would not have admitted so. But with no one around, she allowed the dread to show upon her face. Oh, how she wished her dear friend Gornie were here. She trusted him with more than her life. She trusted him with her soul. Long it seemed since she had first met her beloved companion....
She had grown bored in her room. As beautiful as it was, the outdoors seemed even lovelier. She wondered for a brief moment if she could get away with going out only for a few minutes. Her mind told her no whilst her heart told her yes; she listened to her heart. She ventured out of her room and began to wander about, admiring the beauty that was Rivendell. Leaning against a railing to peer into a beautiful pool of water below, she heard a masculine voice behind her say something to her in a strange tongue.
"Almarë." She spun around at this one word to face the man who had said it. His hair was slightly longer than her own and it looked unwashed. Stubble spread across his face. He could look menacing if he wished, but at the moment he looked kind and gentle.
"Manen nar tyë?" He said something else to her in the strange tongue.
"I'm afraid I do not understand you." She took a step towards him.
"How is it that an elf does not know her own tongue?"
She turned her back on the strange man. She did not even know his name and he was asking her personal questions that she had no desire to answer.
"You travel with the group of men who entered Rivendell yesterday." He surmised accurately.
"Yes." She kept her back to him.
"I know you are not a willing traveler since they keep you locked in a room. Are you a slave?"
She turned on him then. Who was this man who insisted on digging into her life? "I am no slave!"
"A handmaiden then?"
"I serve no one."
"Then what are you?"
"I am a traveler."
"That I know, but what female elf readily fares with a group of mortal men?"
"They saved my life."
"Interesting. What is your name?"
"Eledhwen. Are you the mortal they call Aragorn?" she asked, remembering something the men had said.
"Indeed, that is my name, Ellie."
"Ellie?" He gave her a curt nod at her bewildered question.
"Alright... Gornie." She snickered at her own clever nickname.
Aragorn, on the other hand, was in shock; no one ever dared shorten his name, especially into something that sounded so childish.
And from that, an imperishable friendship blossomed between them.
The following morning, Aragorn introduced Ellie to Elrond, who in turn thought her to be a very pleasant young elf; though that opinion would change as she would continually come back to annoy him. He would not admit it, but over the years he would became very fond of the young elf.
Physical attributes aside, she was very different from the other female elves. She was loud and obnoxious at times. She never kept her opinions to herself and demanded attention from everyone. She would frequently interrupt others simply to make herself be heard. Everyone blamed it on the men who raised her.
The memory had led her thoughts astray her thoughts from the imminent death she believed she now faced. But, now a bright crescent moon was her only light; for day had faded not so long ago. She stopped dead in her tracks and once again scolded herself; this time for allowing her mind to wander when she should be focused. She listened to the darkness and heard nothing. Though many would be comforted not to hear the orcs any longer, it unnerved her; because not only did she hear no orcs, but she heard no other sound but the wind blowing through the mountain. She laid a shaky hand upon the hilt of her sword. She looked quickly at her surroundings with her keen elven eyes, but the fright she felt fogged her mind; she could not remember which way to go. Apprehensively, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She at least needed a bearing in which to head. She cautiously opened her eyes and went to her left, making her way over sharp rocks littering the ground.
The longer she traveled hearing nothing, the more uneasy, and at the same time comforted, she became. Perhaps the Orcs had returned to the confines of the inner mountain. Or maybe they were silently stalking her; though the latter seemed unlikely considering her elven hearing.
At last, she could hear it; the sound of wind rustling the plains of grass. Taking her first deep breath in a long while, Eledhwen allowed herself to relax her tense muscles a bit. Her hand slipped from the hilt of her sword to lay motionless at her side as she headed towards the exit ofthe mountain pass ahead. She knew she still had at least a two-day journey to the woods though.
Eledhwen gasped at the sudden sharp pain in her back and fell to her knees. The cackling of Orcs could then be heard. In her lapse of attention, she had failed to notice the cave intothe mountain near her. She knew she would pay for the mistake with her life.
Reaching behind herself, she pulled the protruding arrow from her back, then drew her sword. Looking up, she saw that a small band of Orcs had surrounded her and were sneering at their easy prey.
"Well, look at what we have caught." One of them taunted in a nasally voice.
"Yes, let's kill the pretty elf and eat her." Another said.
"No, let's have our fun with her then eat her... alive." Came the voice of another orc.
The group of orcs began to close in on her.
"You will not win... without... a FIGHT!" She lunged at the nearest orc, her sword sinking into the chest of the foul creature. She withdrew her sword and clashed it with another as it came at her. It was a fight she had no hope of winning, she knew this. But never would she go down without a struggle.
Her shirt stuck to her back with her warm blood. She swung at another orc preparing to shoot her with another arrow, slicing his neck open. He fell.
It was then she realized that it seemed be getting lighter. But surely it was not yet dawn, for darkness had only fallen a few hours ago, or had it? Perhaps her mind had wandered far longer than she thought. For the light was getting brighter, maybe she had a chance after all, if she could only hold them off for a while longer.
Her hopes were dashed when she felt a dagger buried in her thigh. Quickly, she slew the Orc who had done it. She fell to the ground, no longer could she stand. It would take time to remove the knife, time she did not have. She awaited the blow that would bring her death.
Yet, it did not come. The sun peeked from behind a rocky ledge, blinding Eledhwen for mere moments. When she reopened them, the orcs had fled from the light of day. She allowed her sword to slip from her hand and clatter to the ground.
For a long time, she stared at the dagger protruding from her leg. At last, she gripped the hilt and, drawing in a sharp breath, began to pull. She cried out in pain as the blade slowly withdrew from her flesh. Finally, she tossed the instrument of her anguish to the side and placed her hands upon the wound to stop the flow of blood.
Ripping fabric from her cloak, she wrapped the deep gash tightly. Standing gingerly, she slowly made her way out of the perilousmountains.
Her leg and back screamed out in hurt at each step she took, but she was determined to get far away from the Orcs before night came once more.
After what seemed like hours later, she came to a small stream. She knew her wounds needed tending. The one upon her back she could not see, but no longer believed it was bleeding. Tenderly, she removed her bloodied shirt after tossing her cloak to the side. For the moment, she thought it wise to leave her leg wound bandaged. Leaving her leggings on, she entered the cold stream. She watched the slow moving water turn red as it moved away from her. Once she was sure the rest of the blood had been cleaned off, by seeing that the water remained clear, she dragged herself from the stream, sat, and cleaned the blood from her shirt before putting it back on. Wrapping her cloak around herself tightly, she crossed the stream and continued on her journey towards the Golden Woods.
Darkness fell not long later, and Eledhwen made herself comfortable against a dirt mound. Much she desired sleep, but knew she could not risk it. She reached for her sword and moaned when she found it was not at her side. Carelessly she had left it where it had fallen in the mountains. She settled with pulling out her small dagger and watching the horizon. Tonight there was no moon, for it was covered by the shadowy clouds of a slowly building storm.
The following morning, Eledhwen trudged through the soggy ground and pouring rain. It would take her longer than two days to reach the woods due to her injuries, but she could feel them healing. Well, the wound on her back was healing, her leg wound needed to be cleaned and treated. But she knew nothing of healing plants and water from a puddle would not help in cleansing her large gash, so it would have to wait.
The rain did not let up through the day and when she settled down to rest for the night, it still fell with the same strength it had that morning. Eledhwen shivered miserably and hoped that some time during the cool night the rain would let up, if only just a little bit.
She got her wish. During the night the rain stopped completely and the next morning when the sun rose, it shone bright in the sky. Soon both the ground and Eledhwen herself were dry.
She nearly cried out in joy when at last she could see the woods in the distance from her position on the ridge. Her back had begun hurting again; she knew it had become infected, along with her leg. But, there was no one to help her. The elves that she heard lived in the woods would not help her, this she knew. Elves were cruel, heartless beings. She was glad she had not been raised by them. The main thing she disliked about herself was the fact she was Elven.
The sun was getting low in the sky, so she made herself comfortable on the ridge over looking her destination. As the night settled in, Eledhwen believed she could see faint lights coming from the woods far away and could hear the sound of beautiful voices singing carried by the wind.
Late the next day, Eledhwen stood at the entrance to the woods. Her body ached from her injuries, and a lack of sleep and food. She couldn't waste her energy on finding anything to eat, so she had gone without.
She slowly made her way in. It was so peaceful. She made her way to the tree she had been born beneath. She did not know how she knew where it was, only that she did.
Haldir watched from the trees with his brothers, Orophin and Rúmil. Deciding the small female mortal was of no threat, Haldir sent his brothers to guard the border once again, while he followed the intruder.
At last, she reached the tree. The tree that had watched her brought into this world, the tree her mother had died beneath. She wondered what the men had done with her mother's body. Had they buried her nearby? She had never asked and now she would never know.
Not knowing she was being watched, she picked a large Mallorn leaf up off of the ground. It was the only one within sight that was not hanging from a branch. She held it idly in her hand, watching as the rays of light streaming through the trees made a rainbow of color dance across its withering face. She questioned if the trip here had been worth the struggles. Lost in thought, she hadn't heard him approach; she was too used to the footsteps of men and orcs that fell loudly upon the bare earth and her senses were weakened from the struggles she had endured over the past several days.
Though she had not heard him, she heard his bow, or rather the sting, draw taut. She dared not move.
"What business do you have in The Golden Woods?" A deep, rich, male voice filled her ears.
"My business is of no concern of yours," came her tart reply, perhaps a bit too tart considering there was a keen arrow aimed at her head.
"My business is the Golden Woods, therefore you are my concern. Your name?" he commanded from her.
She lifted her head then, to gaze into the daunting blue eyes of her captor. Her stare was a silent challenge. "Go to Mordor," she snapped at him.
"You test my patience, mortal girl." His gaze filled with anger.
"Watch your temper, Master elf," she seethed in response.
His bow was put away in less then the blink of an eye and his hand was ungently upon her arm, forcing her to stand. "You shall come with me." His voice was eerily cool.
"You have no command over me." She attempted to rip her arm from his grasp, which only tightened with her attempt.
"Indeed I do, I am March Warden of these woods and as such, your trespassing and loud mouth is my concern."
"March Warden, is such a name to mean something to a mere mortal girl?" she sneered at him.
"I warn you now, you are testing my patience. Be silent at once, or I will feed you to the Orcs," he threatened her.
She glowered in response, but stayed quiet for the rest of the journey into Lothlorien.
Though it took not long to reach the Elven city, it felt like weeks to Eledhwen. Her body burned in pain from the quick pace this 'March Warden' set.
But, once in Lothlorien, she gazed up at the magnificent trees with ethereal lights coming from them.
"Come," the March Warden told her, yanking on her already abused arm, having yet to slacken his grip.
"To where, your dungeon?" Questioning him seemed to be the wrong thing to do. She quickly felt the ground against her hands and knees. The pressure on her arm was gone, but only to replaced by grazed hands and knees from being pushed to the ground and a sharp stabbing pain to her wounded leg and back. He once again held his bow in his hands.
"I could kill you now, if you like."
She believed he would do it too.
She cautiously stood; he put his bow away once more and resumed his grip on her arm.
Eledhwen soon found herself at the bottom of a staircase, behind her was a large opening to the ground, far below. "I see, so you plan on tossing me to my death," she commented to the blond elf, still holding her by the arm.
"If it were my choice, yes," he answered her honestly.
The light from the staircase increased and two beautiful Elven beings descended to stop in front of them.
"You may leave us," the lady that seemed made of light told her evil captor. With a gesture of a hand to his heart, made to the beautiful woman, he departed.
Eledhwen stuck her tongue out at him as he left.
The woman smiled at her. "Forgive our March Warden; it is not oft his patience is so tested, especially by a woman."
She said nothing, only gazed at the pair standing before her.
"I am Lord Celeborn and this is my Lady, Galadriel." He delivered Eledhwen the same gesture the March Warden had to Galadriel moments before.
After several seconds of silence, she realized they awaited her name. "I'm Eledhwen."
"We welcome you home, my dear. You are always welcome in Lothlorien." Galadriel told her. "Now come, join us." She gestured for her to join them on the stairs.
She looked between the two hesitantly for a moment before slowly making her way to the elegant staircase.
Galadriel and Celeborn parted, leaving Eledhwen a space between them to walk. Celeborn offered his arm to her, which she timidly took. They then made their way up the stairs. Eledhwen felt far from graceful as she climbed the stairs while the two Elves on either side of her seemed to float.
She could not stop her chin from dropping in awe when she took in the room the Lord and Lady must call home. It was expansive, daunting, and stunning. Never had she beheld such striking surroundings.
"Come." Galadriel beckoned her. Eledhwen released Celeborn's arm and gave him a respectful nod of her head before following Galadriel.
She tried her best to hide the pain she was in; refusing to allow herself to limp. Galadriel led her to the grand bed and motioned for her to sit. She complied immediately, grateful to rest her sore body. The Lady sat next to her; Eledhwen did not even feel the bed move when she did so.
The Lady began running her fingers through Eledhwen's untidy russet hair, making her terribly uncomfortable. She was not used to physical attention from anyone and did not desire it in the least. Yet, she said nothing. She did not wish to upset this beautiful female elf.
"A good healer, my Lord is. Allow him to tend to your wounds." Eledhwen was taken aback by Galadriel's words, and the Lady must have sensed this. "We know of your encounter with the Orcs in the mountain pass. You fought bravely and in doing so, saved your own life."
Celeborn approached the bed, carrying a great deal of things in his arms. Galadriel smiled gently at him before rising and crossing the room, to sit at a table where she opened a fair sized book. The Lord took Galadriel's place on the bed and set his armload of supplied down. He reached out for Eledhwen's leg and she drew back away from his touch.
"I will not harm you. I want to help you. Will you allow me to do this?" His voice so slow and sweet, she could do nothing but nod in response.
"Then you must trust me." He removed himself from the bed and kneeled before her. Reaching out once more, he removed her make-shift bandage wrapped around her thigh. Sensing the young elf would not allow him to remove any of her clothing, he ripped a much larger hole in her leggings so he could treat her gash.
He cleaned her ugly wound with care, then bandaged it with healing herbs. Eledhwen listened to him whisper words in what must have been Elvish. It sounded beautiful coming from his mouth. It also made her feel slightly strange, a faint tingle came from the whisper to the wound and it spread like fire throughout her body.
Then, he stood. "Please lay down on the bed so I may treat your back injury." She slowly did as she was told, noticing that her leg was already feeling much better. Lying down on her stomach, her head resting on one of the soft pillows, she awaited more of Celeborn's healing.
She felt the bed shift lightly with Celeborn's weight and smiled. So the Lord is not as graceful as his Lady, she thought to herself, slightly amused. He noticed her smirk but said nothing as he reached out and lifted her shirt till her could view her wound.
He cleaned it as well, then softly applied more healing herbs to it before wrapping it. Speaking more Elven words, he finished. As he lowered her shirt, he allowed his fingers to trail across her skin lightly. Eledhwen gasped slightly at his touch.
She felt him move off the bed. "My Lady has obtained new clothes for you to wear. Worry not, for they are much like your own." She sat up and nearly cried out in surprise when she saw Galadriel standing next to the bed with new clothes in her arms. She laid them down on the bed before exiting the room with her Lord.
Eledhwen quickly changed into the clothes offered to her, indeed they were much like her own. After she dressed, she followed the same exit the Lord and Lady had taken; back down the staircase. She saw them standing there as if waiting for her. Swiftly, she took her place back in front of them at the bottom of the stairs.
As if called by some unheard voice, the March Warden reappeared.
"Haldir, escort Eledhwen to a place she can bathe and rest. Then, be so kind as to find her something filling to nourish her body with." He didn't look happy, but went to do as he was told, gesturing for Eledwhen to follow him. "Oh, and Haldir." He once again turned back to the Lady of the Golden Wood. "Tend to any injuries you inflicted upon her on your fare here."
Eledhwen gave Haldir a scornful smile after the Lord and Lady were gone.
"Why do they welcome you freely into this land?" Haldir asked her as he led her down a winding staircase.
"Probably because I was born here, you warg." She did not like this elf, not at all.
By the look in Haldir's eyes, the feeling was mutual.
"A mortal girl, born in Lothlorien?"
"I'm not a mortal you orc. I'm an Elf."
He gripped her shoulder harshly. "And I am no orc," he snarled at her.
She pushed him away from herself. "Sorry, my mistake. I wasn't looking at your outward appearance, rather what you are on the inside." She stalked away from him as they reached the forest floor.
"Would you like to find your own way, or follow me in the right direction?" he asked her, still standing at the bottom of the staircase. "Though I must warn you; if you wander off you will probably be killed by one of my Wardens. They don't have as keen of senses as I do, they won't realize you aren't a mortal man."
She turned sharply to face him. "You are infuriating!"
"And you are no better than a dwarf." He began walking away.
She followed him unhappily.
They went the rest of the way in utter silence and soon, high in the trees, Haldir swung open a door and walked inside a large room, leaving the door open for her.
"Where are we?" she asked almost civilly.
"My talan."
"Your what?
"My room." He stared at her curiously for a moment. "For being an elf, you know little of your own people."
She said nothing, merely stood in silence in the center of the room, taking everything in.
"Remove your shirt." Ordered Haldir.
"Excuse me?" She asked in disbelief.
"Remove your shirt." He said more slowly this time, emphasizing each word.
"No." She told him, covering herself with her arms as if she were somehow exposed.
"How am I to heal the harm I inflicted upon you then?"
"I guess you won't be since I'm not taking my shirt off."
"Very well then." He strolled over to her and was at her side so quickly she only had time to take a single step back away from him. He grabbed her arm and rolled up her sleeve, exposing the large ugly bruise he had caused her. Haldir fawned at the sight. He did not like the girl, but he did not mean to cause her such harm. "I apologize," he told her, touching the marred flesh tenderly.
Ellie looked at him in shocked surprise. Did he just apologize?
Her eyes continued to roam over the room as he gently rubbed some sort of ointment into her abused arm.
"Now your hands." She obediently raised them from her sides and faced her palms upward. A few cuts and scratched were revealed there. He rubbed a different sort of medicine into her hands.
"I don't suppose if I ask you to-"
She cut him off immediately. "No, I'm not taking off any of my clothing." She sat down and started to roll up the leggings of her pants until her knees were exposed.
Haldir showed no emotion as he kneeled before her and applied the same medicine to her knees. Ellie rolled her pant legs down and stood.
"You may rest here; I will come for you later and show you to the freshet where we bathe." He walked to his door and before opening it, turned back to her. "You're welcome."
"I have no need to thank you, March Warden. You caused my injuries, I didn't ask you to do it."
Haldir did not look pleased as he left his talan.
As the door shut, Eledhwen felt even lonelier then when Haldir found her under the Lorien tree.
-TBC-
The Elvish:
Almarë – Hello
Manen nar tyë? - How are you?