Sorry it took me so long to update. But here it is. Thanks everyone who
reviewed.
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Rivendell loomed over us, unchanged, as if it had been missed by the flow time. No big shock there, it was an elven city after all. Standing at the head of the stairs, much like he had when we returned from Lothlorien, was Elrond.
"Hey, Elrond." I said as he came down to greet us. He rested one of each of his big hands on Rinvil's and my shoulder and smiled kindly.
"You have grown much since I last saw you, Jack."
"Really? I didn't notice." I said, gesturing to my body.
"How is that you have not aged?" He asked as he took a step back.
"It's all about connections." I joked. The Elven Lord raised an eyebrow. I sighed. No sense of humor. "I'm guessing the Valar." Elrond nodded.
"It is good to see you two again." Arwen's voice drifted sweetly over us. I did my best to stop the frown and turn into a smile. I had never been a fan of Arwen and the fact that Aragorn was now her boyfriend made that a very uncomfortable fact for me.
"Arwen. How you been?" I asked as she came to a stand next to her father.
"Milady. I hope you are well." Rinvil replied bowing. I frowned. There was something, a well-hidden strain in his voice...
"I am very well. It is my pleasure to welcome-" I stopped listening and zeroed in on Rinvil. He was clearly upset. I pushed deeper, trying to slide past the emotions and to the root. There was just this feeling of...stiffness, for lack of a better word. Suddenly I smashed into a wall.
'OUT!' I was repelled backwards and out of his mind with such force I flew off my feet. With a loud smacking sound my head hit the stone stairs.
"Christ!" I shouted as I clutched at my head. "Fuck, Rinvil!"
"I'm sorry!" Rinvil cried, falling to his knees next to me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed he top of my head. "I didn't mean to do that! I'm sorry!"
'Are you all right?'
'I'm fine.' I sent back, my anger leaving as his worry surrounded my mind. 'It's my fault. I shouldn't have done that without your permission.'
"Are you all right, Jack?" Elrond asked. I nodded and stood.
"Just a bump. What I really need is a bath and some food." I replied, patting a still hovering Rinvil on the arm.
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I allowed the warm water to serge over my head as I rested in the bottom. What was that I had felt with Rinvil? What about Arwen upset him so? I bit my lip and surfaced to get my breath.
'Josh...Josh? Are you there?' I called as I disappeared beneath the water again.
'Jack?' His voice was faint with distance between us. 'What is wrong? Are you all right?'
'Yes. It's Rinvil I'm worried about.'
'Why?'
'Something happened when we arrived at Rivendell. I went into his mind-' I grimaced at the disapproval flowing through the link. 'Oh, shut up! Both of you do it to me all the time! Anyway, I was...I don't know how to explain it, can I just show it to you?'
'Alright.' I replayed the memory of what happened in Rinvil's mind.
'Well?' There was a long silence and I wondered if I had somehow managed to lose the connection.
'I'll go talk to him.'
'Thanks.' Then he was gone from my mind. Instantly I was assaulted with loneliness. I felt a slight stir on Rinvil's side of the link and calmed. I'm not alone; I still have Rinvil. How did Josh stand it? As the years went on he had started spending more and more time away from us. He tried to hide it, but I knew why.
We reminded him of what he was. Every time he saw Rinvil, he was reminded of the elves, of the family he left. And when he saw me...he was reminded of what it was he had to become. I surfaced and shook my head. I understand it, but damn do I miss him. I opened my eyes and found them parallel with cream ones.
"Damn it, Galen! How many times do I have to tell you! Don't sneak up on people like that." I glared death at the Maane.
"I did not want to interrupt your bath." He replied. I stood and reached for a towel.
"Why are you here?"
"Aragorn sent me ahead to alert you of his close arrival." I paused, drying myself off. Why hadn't he told me through the link? "He thought it best that I be sent ahead with the news."
"Why?"
"In case I reached Rivendell before you, I was to alert Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen," lip twitch, "of his travels. He predicts that he shall arrive tomorrow."
"Still doesn't explain anything, but nevermind. At least he's close. Where's Leon?"
"With Josh and the Hobbits."
"Hobbits? Why is he bring Hobbit's to Rivendell?"
"That's what Elrond wants to speak with us about." Rinvil announced from the bathroom doorway. I finished dressing.
"Pervert. You're supposed to knock." He rolled his eyes.
"And you're not supposed to sic Josh on me." I winced.
"Ah. Yeah, about that...well my head hurts." Rinvil grinned and wrapped an arm around me.
"Come on, he's waiting for us in his library. "
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Elrond's library had somehow managed to grow even larger over the years. Rinvil shook his head and sat down next to Jack. Elrond cleared his throat and looked them both square in the eyes.
"I'm sure you've both felt the shadow that has crept over Middle-earth. We have come to dark days and mark my words they will get darker." Next to him Jack narrowed her eyes, leaning against Rinvil's shoulder. The elven lord took a deep breath. "The One Ring has been found."
For a moment all both of them could do was stare at him. Which was probably for the best because he carried on.
"It is in the possession of Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit from the Shire. It is my intention that in one week's time I will hold a council of all the free people of Middle-earth. With some hope, we will be able to form a team to take the One Ring to Mordor." A look of disbelief passed over Rinvil's face.
"That will be extremely hard, my Lord." He replied. Elrond leaned back in his chair.
"Which is why I am asking you to join it." Rinvil nodded slowly, his mind set on one thing.
"I go where Jack goes." Jack squeezed his hand. In all these years they had never separated and Rinvil wasn't about to start now. Jack stood and walked over the hearth. Her face showed no emotion, but Rinvil felt otherwise. A voice cut through the conflict and settled both their fates. Perhaps that is why Rinvil heard it as well.
'This quest is not for you.' He sent a questioning probe towards Jack
'Orome.'
"I'm sorry, Elrond. This gig isn't for me." The elf lord nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Go now. Dinner awaits both you in your rooms. Get some rest." Jack paused at the door and turned.
"Hey, Aragorn should be arriving tomorrow. Galen told me." Rinvil grinned. It would be more than good to see Joshua again, and Galen and Leon as well. "Come on, Galen's waiting for us."
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The First Great Hunt- It is the hunt of Orcs, Goblins and any evil thing the hunt should run into. It was issued by Orome and lasted a month. It made Jack known to most elves and earned her the surname of Aldaron. I forgot to explain this last chapter, sorry. It is not part of Tolkien's work. I added it myself.
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Please Review!
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Rivendell loomed over us, unchanged, as if it had been missed by the flow time. No big shock there, it was an elven city after all. Standing at the head of the stairs, much like he had when we returned from Lothlorien, was Elrond.
"Hey, Elrond." I said as he came down to greet us. He rested one of each of his big hands on Rinvil's and my shoulder and smiled kindly.
"You have grown much since I last saw you, Jack."
"Really? I didn't notice." I said, gesturing to my body.
"How is that you have not aged?" He asked as he took a step back.
"It's all about connections." I joked. The Elven Lord raised an eyebrow. I sighed. No sense of humor. "I'm guessing the Valar." Elrond nodded.
"It is good to see you two again." Arwen's voice drifted sweetly over us. I did my best to stop the frown and turn into a smile. I had never been a fan of Arwen and the fact that Aragorn was now her boyfriend made that a very uncomfortable fact for me.
"Arwen. How you been?" I asked as she came to a stand next to her father.
"Milady. I hope you are well." Rinvil replied bowing. I frowned. There was something, a well-hidden strain in his voice...
"I am very well. It is my pleasure to welcome-" I stopped listening and zeroed in on Rinvil. He was clearly upset. I pushed deeper, trying to slide past the emotions and to the root. There was just this feeling of...stiffness, for lack of a better word. Suddenly I smashed into a wall.
'OUT!' I was repelled backwards and out of his mind with such force I flew off my feet. With a loud smacking sound my head hit the stone stairs.
"Christ!" I shouted as I clutched at my head. "Fuck, Rinvil!"
"I'm sorry!" Rinvil cried, falling to his knees next to me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed he top of my head. "I didn't mean to do that! I'm sorry!"
'Are you all right?'
'I'm fine.' I sent back, my anger leaving as his worry surrounded my mind. 'It's my fault. I shouldn't have done that without your permission.'
"Are you all right, Jack?" Elrond asked. I nodded and stood.
"Just a bump. What I really need is a bath and some food." I replied, patting a still hovering Rinvil on the arm.
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I allowed the warm water to serge over my head as I rested in the bottom. What was that I had felt with Rinvil? What about Arwen upset him so? I bit my lip and surfaced to get my breath.
'Josh...Josh? Are you there?' I called as I disappeared beneath the water again.
'Jack?' His voice was faint with distance between us. 'What is wrong? Are you all right?'
'Yes. It's Rinvil I'm worried about.'
'Why?'
'Something happened when we arrived at Rivendell. I went into his mind-' I grimaced at the disapproval flowing through the link. 'Oh, shut up! Both of you do it to me all the time! Anyway, I was...I don't know how to explain it, can I just show it to you?'
'Alright.' I replayed the memory of what happened in Rinvil's mind.
'Well?' There was a long silence and I wondered if I had somehow managed to lose the connection.
'I'll go talk to him.'
'Thanks.' Then he was gone from my mind. Instantly I was assaulted with loneliness. I felt a slight stir on Rinvil's side of the link and calmed. I'm not alone; I still have Rinvil. How did Josh stand it? As the years went on he had started spending more and more time away from us. He tried to hide it, but I knew why.
We reminded him of what he was. Every time he saw Rinvil, he was reminded of the elves, of the family he left. And when he saw me...he was reminded of what it was he had to become. I surfaced and shook my head. I understand it, but damn do I miss him. I opened my eyes and found them parallel with cream ones.
"Damn it, Galen! How many times do I have to tell you! Don't sneak up on people like that." I glared death at the Maane.
"I did not want to interrupt your bath." He replied. I stood and reached for a towel.
"Why are you here?"
"Aragorn sent me ahead to alert you of his close arrival." I paused, drying myself off. Why hadn't he told me through the link? "He thought it best that I be sent ahead with the news."
"Why?"
"In case I reached Rivendell before you, I was to alert Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen," lip twitch, "of his travels. He predicts that he shall arrive tomorrow."
"Still doesn't explain anything, but nevermind. At least he's close. Where's Leon?"
"With Josh and the Hobbits."
"Hobbits? Why is he bring Hobbit's to Rivendell?"
"That's what Elrond wants to speak with us about." Rinvil announced from the bathroom doorway. I finished dressing.
"Pervert. You're supposed to knock." He rolled his eyes.
"And you're not supposed to sic Josh on me." I winced.
"Ah. Yeah, about that...well my head hurts." Rinvil grinned and wrapped an arm around me.
"Come on, he's waiting for us in his library. "
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Elrond's library had somehow managed to grow even larger over the years. Rinvil shook his head and sat down next to Jack. Elrond cleared his throat and looked them both square in the eyes.
"I'm sure you've both felt the shadow that has crept over Middle-earth. We have come to dark days and mark my words they will get darker." Next to him Jack narrowed her eyes, leaning against Rinvil's shoulder. The elven lord took a deep breath. "The One Ring has been found."
For a moment all both of them could do was stare at him. Which was probably for the best because he carried on.
"It is in the possession of Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit from the Shire. It is my intention that in one week's time I will hold a council of all the free people of Middle-earth. With some hope, we will be able to form a team to take the One Ring to Mordor." A look of disbelief passed over Rinvil's face.
"That will be extremely hard, my Lord." He replied. Elrond leaned back in his chair.
"Which is why I am asking you to join it." Rinvil nodded slowly, his mind set on one thing.
"I go where Jack goes." Jack squeezed his hand. In all these years they had never separated and Rinvil wasn't about to start now. Jack stood and walked over the hearth. Her face showed no emotion, but Rinvil felt otherwise. A voice cut through the conflict and settled both their fates. Perhaps that is why Rinvil heard it as well.
'This quest is not for you.' He sent a questioning probe towards Jack
'Orome.'
"I'm sorry, Elrond. This gig isn't for me." The elf lord nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Go now. Dinner awaits both you in your rooms. Get some rest." Jack paused at the door and turned.
"Hey, Aragorn should be arriving tomorrow. Galen told me." Rinvil grinned. It would be more than good to see Joshua again, and Galen and Leon as well. "Come on, Galen's waiting for us."
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The First Great Hunt- It is the hunt of Orcs, Goblins and any evil thing the hunt should run into. It was issued by Orome and lasted a month. It made Jack known to most elves and earned her the surname of Aldaron. I forgot to explain this last chapter, sorry. It is not part of Tolkien's work. I added it myself.
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Please Review!