Chapter 1

Evenstar's Departure


TA 2891

In the far eastern corner of Imladris, more commonly known as Rivendell to outsiders, sat a full cart of different and rare fireworks that only one person could have. Yes, person. Perhaps a wizard, hm? He was known as Gandalf the Grey, and wherever he went, adventure followed.

And so the Grey Wizard went to visit his dear friend Lord Elrond. He left his fireworks near the bank of a river, where no one will find them. But in this case, Gandalf was wrong. From the bushes, there peeked a young female elf. Her thick, silver hair was unbound, allowing it to cascade past her waist. Her grey eyes spied the cart of fireworks, glinting in quiet mischief. She looked around and was relieved no one was there to see her. Clutching her blue skirts above her knees, she sprinted towards the cart. She had heard many of Gandalf's tales, as her father used to tell her stories when she was younger.

All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind came from above. The magnificent creature, a golden fire-drake with eyes so crimson, took notice of her mischief.

"Now is not the right time to be causing trouble, Arestel. Lord Elrond is busy for Lady Arwen's departure. He doesn't need any more problems." His voice was deep and husky, laced with a silent purr at the back of his scaly throat.

Arestel huffed. "Oh hush, Gareth. Of course he doesn't need any more problems. This will not be a problem to him," she said as she took a match out from her pocket and lighted it.

The dragon warily took a step backwards. His bat-like wings folded and the long, spiky tail curled on the ground. Before he knew it, fireworks of different colours exploded in front of him and into the sky.

The young elf was surely proud of herself. Setting Gandalf's fireworks alight on her own and the whole Imladris watching the display, that was really something. She watched in awe as the fireworks took various shapes and forms. Her favorite was the red dragon that swept the entire area. As she watched, her superiors arrived.

Gandalf arrived, firmly holding his staff. He wore grey robes and a large pointy hat, which partially covered his grey hair. He walked towards Arestel with a little frown, but as soon as the elf turned to look at him, his frown turned into an amused smile. Behind him, the Lord of Rivendell came, scowling at the commotion, and was followed by his two sons.

Elrond immediately shot her an accusing look. "What did you do?"

"I set Gandalf's fireworks alight," was Arestel's simple, yet honest, answer. She met the glaring eyes of her father.

The exasperated Half-elven lord massaged his aching forehead. "I thought I told you to stay put and stay out of trouble?"

Arestel shrugged and cast her eyes on the ground, now feeling rather guilty. "I was curious; I had nothing to do," she murmured.

"You were bored, so you had to set Gandalf's fireworks alight?" Elrond was obviously angry now. His youngest daughter always caused mischief. He did not know which side of the family she got this attitude from. Her mother wasn't nearly as energetic. Surely, her brothers were tricksters as well, but they knew when or where to cause mischief. Arestel did not seem to pick out whom to victim or when or where.

"Apologize to Gandalf," Elrond continued, "you owe him a good set of fireworks."

She turned to the Grey Wizard and bowed, "Amin hiraetha, Mithrandir."

"You are forgiven, Estel."

The young elf turned to her father and gave him a smug look.

"Let's go. Let us not waste any more time," was all Elrond had to say before he turned and left. Gandalf followed Elrond. Gareth, who had been watching them throughout the while time, flew off. Arestel slowly walked after her superiors when her two older brothers walked towards her.

"Slick move, Estel." Elrohir forced himself not to laugh.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Arestel replied as she took her brothers' hands in hers and swayed them as they walked.

"You should have asked us to join you," Elrohir said, but Elladan tapped his shoulder.

"That's not very nice," he told this brother then turned to Arestel. "You should have picked a better timing. Then, we could have joined you." Elladan smirked. All three of them laughed as they continued to their house where everyone else was waiting for them.


That night, Elrond had called his children in his study. He sat on his sturdy chair by the fire and waited as his children gathered in front of him. They were silent at first, but Elladan took all his courage and spoke first.

"You called for us?" he asked. Silence came. At length, he continued, "Did we do something wrong?"

Elladan and his other siblings kept standing and waited for their father's reply. Elrond looked at them; his sons and two beautiful daughters were obviously nervous. He could not help but chuckle to himself, loud enough for his children to hear.

Arestel sighed. "And here I thought we're going to be screwed," she said sarcastically, and Elrohir snickered. Elladan elbowed his brother while Arwen hushed her sister. They both stopped and waited for their father to talk.

"As we all know," Elrond started, "that Arwen is to depart for Lothlórien tomorrow. And with that, I'd like for Arestel to come along."

Her siblings looked at her while Arestel could feel herself gaping at her father. She couldn't believe her father was actually sending her away.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked.

"You'll leave for Lothlórien tomorrow with Arwen. Your Lady Galadriel will be very delighted," replied Elrond.

"No, thank you. As much as I want to spend time in Lothlórien, I'd rather stay here at home," Arestel said as she stood up. She looked at her father and added, "Good night, Father." She left her father's study room with a loud shut of the door.

Elrond sighed and placed a palm on his forehead.

"Don't worry about it, Father." Arwen caressed Elrond's shoulder. "It will be all better when the morning comes."

"I hope it does. Go back in your rooms now and have some sleep. I shall see you all tomorrow." Elrond stood up and led his children out of his room.

Outside, Arestel went straight into the gardens and stopped in front of the watch-tower. Gareth was housed in a tower of white, which gleamed silver under the pale night sky. A staircase coiled around the tower, with a railing of gold. Sighing to herself, Arestel climbed the building and saw the creature looking down at her with expressionless ruby eyes.

"I did not wake you up, did I?"She smiled and approached him.

Gareth studied her for a moment, before resting his large head down to the polished floor. "What sort of mischief are you brewing in this time of the night?"

"Oh, nothing." Arestel beamed and settled herself next to the fire-drake. "I cannot sleep in my room, so I thought I would spend the night here." She snuggled closer under his wings, until she felt them move and shield her from the cold, as though it was a blanket.

"Stay as you like." Gareth yawned, long, pointy teeth baring briefly.

"Good night, then."


The next morning, Arestel and Gareth had come down from the tower and met up with Glorfindel, who was on his usual morning walk with Asfaloth. The golden-haired warrior was unusually in a good mood, with his smile so bright that it could rival the Sun's. Arestel had heard countless stories regarding of his valour, ranging from hunts and wars. It was no wonder that he was the Captain of Rivendell, the undisputed champion of Elrond.

"I heard you were in trouble yesterday." Glorfindel flashed her a very charming smile, as he dismounted his white horse and approached her.

"Estel is always one for mischief," Gareth pointed out.

The younger elf rolled her eyes. "But I was having fun."

The Golden Elf tilted his head to the side, curious. "You were having fun on Gandalf's fireworks by setting them alight. How was that fun? That's the third time this week when you got into trouble."

"Hush, hush." Arestel pouted and led them back towards the main house.

The entourage from Rivendell to Lothlórien was assembled in the white courtyard. Horses were mustered, scouts with different weapons were running to and fro. It was the most crucial thing: to protect Elrond's daughter throughout the whole journey. Elladan and Elrohir emerged from the house, helping with the preparation, before Elrond and Arwen themselves appeared. The Evenstar was ever so beautiful, with her dark hair and eyes, with pale skin and rosy cheeks. Elves often compared Arwen's beauty to their late mother, whose silver hair was passed down to Arestel.

Arwen said her farewells, first to her brothers, and then to her father. She saved her younger sister for last, and smiled fondly to her.

"You take care of yourself." The Evenstar smiled. "And whatever you do, stay out of trouble."

"Worry not." Arestel laughed softly. "I would keep that in mind."

With one last glance, Arwen mounted her horse and rode off to Lothlórien with her Elven escort.


Next Chapter Preview: The twins and Arestel cause another mischief, this time taking place on Bree. What will happen when they meet the Rangers of the North?

Author's Notes: This is my not my first story, but it certainly is my first story to be published in public. If you have any opinions or comments, please feel free to message me.