Three Rings for the Elven Kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf Lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for mortal Men, doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie,
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them
One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them,
In the land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie.
I was 24 years old when my life changed forever and I ended up in another world. Fortunately, it was a world that I had heard of from reading one of my favorite series. It was Middle Earth, the world of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. . It was also the world that my beautiful paternal grandmother was born in.
She was born Valiedhiel and she was the second eldest daughter of Gil-Gilad, the High King of the Elves and his beloved wife Caladwen.
My grandmother had an older sister named Vanlanthiriel who married Prince Calanon, the younger brother of King Celeborn of Lothlorien. They were the parents of two children: a daughter and a son. The son was named Arphenion and he married an Elven maid from Mirkwood who is named Haldaraina. Arphenion and Haldaraina were the parents of three sons and one daughter named Haldir, Rumil, Orophin, Merilwen. Merilwen married Lord Erestor from Rivendell.
My grandmother also had a younger sister named Vanya who married King Oropher of Mirkwood. They were the parents of Prince Thranduil and his sisters Lady Vardainiel and Oloriel. Prince Thranduil married an Elleth named Lady Lelieal of Lothlorien. Their children are Prince Legolas and his sister Princess Tarvalie.
Rivendell Third Age 2410,
We arrived in Rivendell, 100 years before the Orcs attacked Lady Celebrian. Rivendell was a deep valley in eastern Eriador near the Misty Mountains. It was hidden from view in the heather-covered moors. There was a steep, zig-zagging path leading down into the valley. Fir trees grew on the higher slopes and beech and oak trees grew farther down in the valley.
The southernmost of the two mountain streams that formed the River Bruinen flowed westward through the valley. A narrow stone bridge spanned the river, and on the north bank stood the Last Homely House where Elrond dwelled. There were gardens around the house and a terrace overlooking the river.
The city gates opened as we came closer. We saw two Elves waiting for us who we later realized were the Lords Erestor and Lindir.
"My Lady Galadriel, Welcome to Rivendell." Lord Erestor and Lord Lindir say.
"Who are these visitors that you've brought with you?" Lord Erestor asks.
"My Lord Erestor, this young lady with me is the great-granddaughter of our beloved
High King Gil-Galad and the eldest granddaughter of our long-lost Lady Valiedhiel." Lady Galadriel says.
"Where did she come from?" Lord Erestor asks.
"She was at home when her house was devastated by a tornado and if she didn't leave there she would have died." The Lady of Lothlorien says.
"What about the children and the other two adults, who are they?" Lord Lindir asks.
"The children are her adopted children and the two adults were former chaperones of the children and are now her friends." The lady says.
A few minutes later, Lord Elrond and Lord Glorfindal show up from outside the palace of Rivendell.
"What is the name of Lady Valiedhiel's eldest granddaughter?" Lord Erestor asks.
"My Lord and Cousin Erestor, my human name is Mohini Jessica Shah." I say. "My Elven name is Calylith Herenya." I say to him.
The rest of the Elves of Rivendell come out to meet the High King's great- granddaughter.
"Welcome to Rivendell, Lady Calylith Herenya." The Ellith and Ellyn said to me.
"My lady, is there anything that you would like for me to do for you?" Lord Elrond asks.
"My Lord Elrond, I would like for you to marry my dear friends Isaac Lawson (Lalaithion Ysella) and Helen Smith (Caladhiel Lacia) in a year." I say. We all were then taken to our guest rooms to freshen up before dinner.
I will set a servant to draw a bath and get some clothes for you" Elrond said.
Helen, the girls and I followed him to a suite of two guest rooms. They were large with an open balcony that overlooked the forest that surrounded them. The four-poster bed in my room was against a wall with a smaller two-poster bed right beside it, the posts carved and etched out with what reminded us of Celtic designs.
There was a desk in the right corner; with candles that accented the area. There was a vanity and a dresser. The four-poster bed in her room was against a wall, the posts carved and etched out with what reminded us of Native American and Celtic designs. There was a desk in the left corner; with candles that accented the area. There was also a vanity and a dresser. "Is it to your approval?" Elrond asked.
"The rooms are perfect for us. Thank you" We said.
"Good. Arwen and Celeniel, my daughters, should be up in a few minutes to take care of your dresses. I'm hoping to see you at dinner" Elrond said.
"My Lord Elrond, we would be honored to be your guests for dinner." We replied.
After Lord Elrond left, we sat on a sofa in the parlor and talked about how glad we were to be alive. We also talked about our lives before the 9/11 attacks.
"How many siblings did you have, my Lady Calylith?" Helen asked.
"I was the second eldest of seven children, my Lady Caladhiel." I said. "How many siblings did you have, my Lady Caladhiel?" I asked.
"I was the second eldest of three children, my Lady Calylith." She told me.
"My ladies?" two soft voices came from the door of the parlor a few minutes later.
We turned to see two young women, standing in the door. The youngest had ivory skin and hard brown almost black hair.
"Lady Arwen, right?" Helen asked. The eldest had ivory skin and black hair.
"Lady Celeniel, right?" I asked. Before leaving the rooms, Helen and I looked through our luggage and took out the shampoos, conditioners, and body washes for the bathes for the children and us.
The maidens smiled. "Yes. Our father asked us to get you two ready. First you'll need a bath. One has already been drawn for you. Follow me" She said to Helen.
Helen walked out of the room and down the hall a bit. Arwen stopped at a door and she followed the Elven Princess inside the room. In the center was a Jacuzzi filled with hot water and the scent of roses wafting out of the tub. "Everythings ready. I'll be back later with your dress."
Ten minutes later, I walked out of the room with the children and stopped at a door. Celeniel stopped at a door and I followed her into the room. In the center was a Jacuzzi filled with hot water and the scent of jasmines wafting out of the tub. "Just get into the bath and I'll return later with your dresses." I decided to give the kids a bath first and then take one myself. Thirty minutes later, I had shampooed all the dirt and grime out of the girls' hair and washed it with body wash off their bodies. I wrapped towels around the bodies of Katherine, Elizabeth, and Anna then cleaned the Jacuzzi to get ready for my bath.
I first washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner and got all the dirt, ash, and grime out of my hair and off of my body. I stood up, got out of the Jacuzzi, and wrapped a towel around my body just as Lady Celeniel entered with our dresses. Before dressing the girls, I wrapped towels over their head so that the dresses would not get wet from their wet hair.
Katherine changed into a blue and silver dress that was beautiful for a ten-year-old girl.
Elizabeth changed into an ivory and green dress which was perfect for an eight-year-old girl.
For Anna, there was a lovely peach and cream dress. After dressing the girls, they left to go back to the room and wait for me to get dressed. After the girls left, I wrapped a towel over my head and slipped my dress over my head.
It was red and gold in color. The neckline was scooped and the sleeves split down the middle to the elbow, and then they were tied at the wrist. It stopped at my ankles and unlike the rest of the dress, was free-flowing and moved with my body.
I then cleaned up the bathroom as I had been taught by my mother and then walked back to my room. I looked through the packs that the girls had when they came for the tour that morning and asked them what type of hairstyle they would like to wear tonight. I gently brushed the tangles out of their chestnut, black, and blond hairs. I asked the girls to sit down on the vanity stool so I could finish doing their hair.
For Elizabeth, I made a French braid.
For Katherine, I parted her hair in the middle and brushed it straight down which was the Elven hairstyle I learned from my grandmother.
For Anna, I made her hair into pigtails. I put three pairs of beautiful slippers, which were matching their dresses on the girl's feet.
After I had finished the girl's hair, I decided to brush my own and style it myself. I then went through my purse and found a clip to put my hair into my favorite hairstyle of clip-up hairdos. I left some soft curls in the front and then made a formal hairstyle. I rubbed a little wax on the palms of my hands and worked it into my curls with my fingertips. I took two large curved combs that are interlocked and used them to push the crown hair up towards the centre. I then pushed the teeth of the combs together to fasten them.
I then found my favorite pair of heels, which I had in my luggage for our night flight to home, which we were planning to take the next day so that we could celebrate my baby shower at my parent's house. A few minutes later, Lady Celeniel came into the room and told the girls that their brothers wanted to eat dinner with them in a private room.
"Naneth, can we eat dinner with our brothers?" They asked me.
"Uma, my dearest daughters you can eat dinner with the boys." I told them.
"Hantale, Naneth." They said to me and left the room to go find their brothers.
"Is it alright for me to explore the sites of Rivendell?" I asked Lady Celeniel.
"You can explore at your heart's content as long as you are back in the Dining Hall for dinner." She commented.
"Good." I said standing up and exiting my room to go explore Rivendell.
I walked for a couple of hours, visiting with the Elves that I met. I walked down several beautiful corridors. I decided to stop at the garden outside because it was peaceful and serene but it also reminded me of the gardens at my grandparents' Palace in India. Colorful and beautiful flowers hung off the tree limbs. Beautiful lanterns lit the scenic paths. I sat down on a bench and let my mind wander back to my beloved family. I had been through so much in less than a year. I had just adopted six children before marrying the love of my life and losing him in a terrorist attack finding out that I was pregnant with our child and leaving my world to end up in beautiful Arda. Tears escaped my eyes as I remembered watching the news and seeing the World Trade Center being hit by two airplanes and then talking to my beloved while watching it crumble to the ground. I remembered my husband saying his last goodbye to me and having my last conversations with my loved ones two months later when our house was hit by a freak tornado. Pretty soon, I was sobbing and wailing uncontrollably.
"Arwen en amin?" I heard a voice behind me ask.
I picked my head up and turned to see Lady Celeniel. "Uma." I answered her question.
"Lle tyava quell, Lady Calylith?" she asked.
"N'uma, Lady Celeniel." I told her.
"Mani naa ta?" She asked.
"Today, I died when my house was hit by a freak tornado and exactly two months ago my husband died when his workplace was attacked by evil terrorists." I told her.
"How did you die?" She asked. "How did your husband die?" Lady Celeniel asked.
"I was showing my friends around my home when the house was hit by a tornado. I am a trained Healer but I could not even save the lives of my ladies maid, her unborn child, and her husband. I was walking around my house when I got a telephone call from my husband and he told me that an airplane hit the buildings that he and his colleagues were in. I watched the television helplessly as my former place of work crumbled down to the ground and talked to my husband on the phone as he and his colleagues died." I said.
"Did you have any family and what is an airplane, Lady Calylith?" She asked me.
"Lady Celeniel, I am the second eldest of seven children and an airplane is a transportation system that humans in my world rode in the air." I told her.
"Lady Calylith, thank you for telling me what was bothering you and making you cry." She told me.
"Lady Celeniel, thanks for being my friend and listening when I needed someone to tell my problems." I said to her. She gives me a hug and I dry my tears. Little did I know then that it would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
A minute later, Lord Elrond comes into the garden to talk to us. He smiled kindly at us and told us that dinner was starting in a few minutes.
"Diola IIe." We say to him.
He then takes our hands and escorts both of us to the Dining Hall. I was seated between the Ladies Celeniel and Arwen. Lady Galadriel sat next to Arwen and Lady Caladhiel sat next to Lady Celeniel. On the other side of Lady Galadriel sat Lord Celeborn and Lord Erestor. Beside Lord Elrond sat Lord Glorfindel and Lady Celebrian.
"Mae govannen." I say to Lady Celebrian and Lord Celeborn.
"Elen sila lumenn'omentielvo." They reply to me.
Some light classical Elvish music started up. There were several kinds of bread, the traditional fair white loaves set beside heavy, honeyed rye and a seeded flat-bread. Arranged alongside for the taking were butter, salty white cheese, a great dish of barley and onions with herbs, an Elvish stew and a salad of greens and blooms.
A tin tub of trout was in the middle alongside a few dishes filled with roasted venison, baked chicken, and pheasant. For dessert, there were squares of crushed hazelnut mixed with cherry, diamond shapes of dried apricot jelly; marzipan adorned with silver and gold leaves; and balls of orange nougat dusted with spices and sparkling flakes of edible gold.
There were also carrot cakes, spiced apple cake, and my favorite a delicate rose-flavored one which quickly disappeared into my mouth. The wines offered with dinner were Dowinion wine, Miruvor, Glowfire, honey mead, and spicy pear mead. Glowfire (Sembian) is a pale chartreuse wine renowned for its faint luminescence. It was neither sweet nor dry, and had a taste that reminded me of summer breezes and honeysuckles. With dessert, I had a cup of the spicy pear mead. After dinner and dessert, we all went into the Hall to listen to stories and songs. All the ladies sang a song in honor of Elbereth.
All the lords sang a song in honor of the Luthien and Beren's love story. After the two songs by the native Elves, Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian asked if any of us wanted to sing a song from our world. We decided to repay their hospitality by agreeing to sing songs from Earth for them. Helen, Isaac, and I decided to sing a song in honor of our country.
America the Beautiful
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.
O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
After singing one song together, I decided to sing another song.
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the leaves are falling
T'is you, T'is you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
t'is I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
And when ye come, and all the flow'rs are dying
If I am dead, as dead I well may be
ye'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.
And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And oh, my grave shall warmer, sweeter be
For ye will bend and tell me that you love me
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me.
At ten o'clock one week later, Isaac Lawson, Lady Celeniel, Lord Elrond, his captain, Galasrinion, his herald, Falanyon, his clerk, Melimion, his scribe, Aleth, and the mayor of Imladris, Voronwe, Lord Erestor's family, and I were assembled in the great hall.
This was the adoption ceremony of Isaac Lawson aka Lalaithion Ysella. Melimon had drawn up a beautiful document for the adoption. In addition, this one was truly magnificent. The calligraphy was awesome. Every rune looked like a miniature picture. The capitals at the beginning of each sentence were set with gold and blue and every letter adorned with flourishes.
Falanyon read the document out to those of us assembled. It was really pretty simple and straightforward. It stated that the Lord Erestor and Lady Merilwen adopted the Lord Lalaithion Ysella, son of Lord Tawarthion and Lady Raina of Ithaca, to be their son with all rights and duties of this position according to the laws and customs of Imladris. At the end, there was the ritual call upon the Valar and the One to confirm and uphold this act, and the date, the 30th of September, Quellë.
When Falanyon had finished reading, the parchment was smoothed down on the table.
Then there was room for the family's signatures and the seals, and the signatures of the witnesses.
A pot of black ink was opened and Lord Elrond dipped a great white plume of a quill into the ink. He carefully shook off any excess ink and then signed the document in smooth joined-up Sindarin tengwar.
Then he offered the quill to Lord Erestor and he also signed the document in smooth joined-up Sindarin tengwar. After Erestor's wife and daughter signed the document, the quill was then offered to Lady Celeniel. She signed it and then offered the quill to me. I signed it and than offered the quill to Lord Lalaithion to sign.
"There should be enough ink for your signature in it," I told him reassuringly when he looked at the quill suspiciously. He inhaled shakily and bent down to add his signature to the right-hand side of the document. He wrote his name in the beautiful script of Sindarin which he had been practicing since he had first read the books when he was young.
Everyone went to his or her rooms to freshen up for lunch in the Dining Hall except for Lady Celeniel and me. We were busy planning the second adoption ceremony and of course the betrothal ceremony. We decided to go to Lady Celeniel's Study and finish making the plans for the rest of the festivities.
One week later, at ten o'clock, Helen Smith, Lady Celeniel, Lord Elrond, his captain, Galasrinion, his herald, Falanyon, his clerk, Melimion, his scribe, Aleth, and the mayor of Imladris, Voronwe, Lord Lindir's family, and I were assembled once again in the great hall.
This was the adoption ceremony of Helen Smith aka Caladhiel Lacia. Melimon had drawn up another beautiful document for the adoption. This one was truly gorgeous. The calligraphy was breathtaking. Every rune looked like a diminutive portrait. The capitals at the beginning of each sentence were set with silver and pink and every letter adorned with embellishments.
Falanyon again read the document out to those of us assembled. It was really pretty simple and straightforward. It stated that the Lord Lindir and Lady Mainonnenniel adopted the Lady Caladhiel Lacia, daughter of Lord Dûrion and Lady Útheniniel of Flint, to be their daughter with all rights and duties of this position according to the laws and customs of Imladris. At the end, there was the ritual call upon the Valar and the One to confirm and uphold this act, and the date, the 6th of October, Quellë.
When Falanyon had finished reading, the parchment was smoothed down on the table.
Then there was room for the family's signatures and the seals, and the signatures of the witnesses.
A pot of black ink was opened and Lord Elrond dipped a great white plume of a quill into the ink. He carefully shook off any excess ink and then signed the document in smooth joined-up Sindarin tengwar.
Then he offered the quill to Lord Lindir and he also signed the document in smooth joined-up Sindarin tengwar. After Lindir's wife and sons signed the document, the quill was then offered to Lady Celeniel. She signed it and then offered the quill to me. I signed it and than offered the quill to Lady Caladhiel to sign.
"There should be enough ink for your signature in it," I told her reassuringly when she looked at the quill suspiciously. She inhaled shakily and bent down to add her signature to the right-hand side of the document. She wrote her name in the beautiful script of Sindarin, which she had been practicing since she had first read the books when she was young.
Everyone went to his or her rooms to freshen up for lunch in the Dining Hall.
In two weeks the betrothal was announced at a meeting of the two houses concerned, and the betrothed gave silver rings one to another. According to the laws of the Eldar this betrothal was bound to stand for one year at least, and it often stood for longer.
Before the wedding, my friends were adopted by two different Elven families. Isaac was adopted by Lord Erestor and his wife Lady Merilwen, since they had no sons but had a daughter named Melethainiel.
Lord Lindir and his wife Mainonnenniel, who had four sons but no daughters, adopted Helen. There sons were named Máfortion, Galasrinion, Melimion and Glenndaugion. Four weeks later in beautiful Imladris, my new friends celebrated their wedding in the tradition of the Elves.
The bride's mother starts the wedding ceremony by saying some words about the Goddess Varda watching over the couple and their marriage. "No Elbereth tiriatha vest hen a han beriatha dan i nguruthos. No Caladhiel Lacia a(r) Lalaithion Ysella cuiathar a melithar 'odref an-uir min innas Eru."
The groom's father then says some words about the God Manwe watching over the couple and their marriage. "No Aran Einior tíratha vest hen a han beriatha dan i nguruthos. No Lalithion Ysella a(r) Caladhiel Lacia cuiathar a melithar 'odref an-uir min innas Eru."
Then Lord Elrond starts the ceremony by asking the couple to say their vows.
Bride speaks:
Im (Caladhiel Lacia), estathar le (Lalaithion Ysella), sui hervennen nín. Gerich velethnín a guil nín al lû bân.
Groom Speaks:
Im (Lalaithion Ysella), estathar le (Caladhiel Lacia), sui hervess nín. Gerich velethnín a guil nín al lû bân.
For the wedding, I decided to bake the cake and make a feast of the couple's favorite foods from home. The cake that I decided to bake was the traditional Irish Wedding Cake, but I also baked chocolate chip cookies and some macadamia nut brownies. The wedding dinner consisted of wild mushroom tartlets, grilled coriander giant prawns with a chili-lime sauce, rosemary-roasted baby lamb chops with apricot-mint salsa, a veggie platter, turkey sandwiches, salad, potato salad, fresh vegetable soup, fettuccini alfredo, dinner rolls, vegetable biryani, baked beans, naan, tandoori chicken, and palak paneer.
The drinks served at the wedding reception were my maternal grandmother's golden wedding punch of orange juice, lemon juice, and pineapple juice for the kids and other non-alcoholics; for the ones who drink I made my mother's peach champagne punch and some other guests drank miruvor and honey mead. After the dinner and drinks, we were treated to Isaac serenading his bride with the song "I Do Cherish You" by 98 Degrees.
All night long, everyone danced to a melee of Elven music and some music that I had in my CD's in my luggage that I was able to play for the reception. For the next week everyone feasted and celebrated the wedding. A few days later, all of the Elves from Lothlorien left to go back home and with them they took the newlyweds there for their honeymoon.
I started working at the Healing House as a Healer since I was a certified doctor and faith healer. One day, an Elleth came to the House of Healing and it appeared that she had the symptoms of fatigue and a fever. I used a Native American tea of Black Cohosh, Carnation, and Chamomile to help her heal. That same day an Ellon came into the House of Healing and it appeared that he was suffering from nausea and indigestion. I gave him an Ayurvedic tea of Ginger and told him to drink it whenever he felt the effects of motion sickness.
One week later, I decided to take my mare Aerowyn for my last ride before I started the last two months of my pregnancy. She is a gorgeous silver mare who is tall and sweet. She has a fine neck and a beautiful face. She loved it when I fed her carrots. With me was my dearest friend Lady Celeniel, the eldest daughter of Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian. Lady Celeniel was riding her beloved mare Cerowyn, who was the older sister of my mare. She is a gorgeous gold mare who is tall and kind. She also has a fine neck and a beautiful face. She loved being fed apples.
"How have you enjoyed being in Rivendell and working at the Houses of Healing, Lady Calylith?" Lady Celeniel asks.
"I have enjoyed being a healer like I was at home and I have enjoyed living in Rivendell, Lady Celeniel." I said to my newest friend. During our peaceful ride, I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Horses, their dark and light coats gleaming in the sunlight, grazed peacefully on beautiful lush green pastures in the distance.
The translation for the Bride's mother and Groom's father part of the ceremony is found on http:/thereon(dot)gportal(dot)hu/gindex(dot)php?pg=31716561. The translation for the Bride's Mother is May Varda watch over this marriage and protect it from the shadow of death. May Caladhiel Lacia and Lalaithion Ysella live and love together always in the will of Eru Ilúvatar. The translation for the Groom's Father is May Manwë guard this marriage and shield it from the shadow of death. May Lalaithion Ysella and Caladhiel Lacia live and love together always in the will of Eru Ilúvatar.
The translations for the Wedding Ceremony and the vows between the couple are found on http:/www(dot)clevercrow(dot)com/mewed/vows(dot)html. The translation for the wedding vows of the bride's are I (Bride), will name you (Groom), as my husband. You have my love and my life for all time. The translation for the wedding vows of the groom's are I (Groom), will name you (Bride), as my wife. You have my love and my life for all time.
