Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, nor any of its related material.
This is my first fanfic for Lord of the Rings. Actually, this would be my first fanfic period. So anyways, enjoy the readin'!
Also, I would like to thank Shea and Lauren for assisting me in Elven names and Sindarin translations.
4. THE SWORD
We all had lunch together with Legolas and many of the other elves, but Elrond wasn't there for some reason. I couldn't help but wonder where he was. Had I truly worried him by mentioning the Fire Relic? I hoped I hadn't done anything truly catastrophic to this world. After all, they had all been so nice to my friends and I. They had been our gracious hosts, giving us food and shelter, and I didn't want to be the cause of trouble for them.
In the background, I could hear Shea and Lauren asking Legolas questions about whether this or that was true, and asking him to tell them tales of his great experiences in the land. Legolas seemed most happy to oblige, and he told them of encounters with whole contingents of orcs, fighting giants, trolls, and other huge and hideous beasts. Although they say Elrond is the best storyteller around, I'd say Legolas was pretty good at it too. He descriptively told of every swing of the sword he made, every shot of the bow and arrow, and every duck, jump, and run to avoid getting creamed by all his foes. The girls' faces were lit up with delight, and I think Legolas was enjoying the narration of his tales too. I smiled slightly to see everyone having such a good time. Somehow, though, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had done something wrong, and as a result, wasn't in the spirit to join their conversation. Somehow, some way, I felt I must make up for my blunder with the Fire Relic and repay the elves in some grandiose way.
Legolas brought me out of my mulling suddenly when he asked if I would like some more bread, lifting the basket of it up. I replied with a no and a shake of my head, but I thanked him for the offer. He shrugged slightly and put the basket back down. Almost immediately after, Shea started asking more questions, and he responded with a smile on his face. I could see in his eyes, though, that he knew I was worried about something. I had to admire that trait in the elves. They were very perceptive, and it was hard to hide anything from them.
When lunch finished, Legolas told us all he'd give us some sword training this afternoon. He told Shea and Lauren he'd be right down as soon as he'd cleaned up.
"Oh, we'll help you with the mess," Shea promptly stated and started picking up bowls and stacking them up to carry to the kitchen.
"Yeah," Lauren quipped, and she started a similar process.
"No, that's all right," Legolas replied rather fast, putting a hand on Shea's shoulder. "This won't take long anyways. Besides, you're our guests, and we can't have our guests scrubbing the dishes."
After a moment's hesitation, Shea and Lauren agreed and went down to the courtyard with two other elves.
I was about to leave myself when Legolas said, "Wait." I did so until he had finished carrying all the dishes away. He then returned and indicated I sit down again. Once we were both seated at the table, he began.
"It's not your fault," he told me. "Elrond informed me of the Fire Relic and how it brought you here, but that's not what's bothering him so much."
"Then what is it?" I questioned.
Legolas stared at the table, then out to the beautiful blue and cloudless sky, the lush forests, the rushing waterfalls full of tranquil water, and the ever quiet yet dominating mountains. He gave a deep sigh, still gazing at the landscape, and said, "The House of Elrond has been kept safe for many, many years because its location is a secret. This paradise, our home, will not stay that way forever, though. The threat of the orcs advances, and there may come a day when they discover Rivendell." He turned to look at me, continuing, "Elrond is especially concerned for your safety, the three of you. He does not want any of you to get hurt as a result of our ongoing conflict with the orcs, and neither do I. So please believe me when I say none of this is your fault."
I nodded slowly, but I think he could see that I wasn't entirely convinced. Legolas stared down at the table and seemed to be pondering something for a moment. Then he got up and motioned for me to follow him. He led me down a flight of stairs into a large library. There were thousands of books, scrolls, and collections of parchments lining the walls on huge wooden shelves. On the tables lay many objects that no doubt were filled with the elves' magic. I couldn't help but stare at the massive amounts of information which must reside here.
Upon seeing the look of wonder on my face, Legolas said, "Elrond has tried very hard to collect and preserve the writings and crafts of our people throughout the ages. So much has been lost to war." There was a sad look in his eyes, and I nodded understandingly.
Legolas brought me to a table across the room with a small casket lying in the middle. He opened it and pulled out a short sword. After a slight pause, he handed it to me. I accepted it, and the moment I held it, I realized how remarkably light it was. The blade was a gleaming silver, and there were lines of runes engraved on the part of the blade closest to the hilt.
"What do they say?" I asked, looking up to Legolas.
"It is written in an ancient tongue that only Elrond can read," Legolas answered. "He says the sword was made by the most talented elven smiths and a powerful enchantment was put on it by an elven priestess thousands of years ago. The writing itself claims the user becomes twice as strong when bearing the sword and gains an agility which rivals only the quickest of animals. It has been useless to us, though, for the enchantment was designed to take effect only when the hands of men hold this sword."
"Oh," I said with a look of awe.
The hilt itself was gold coloured and had intricate designs of leaves on it. Up until now, I had been resting the sword on the palms of my hands. Now I reached around with my right hand and held it by the hilt. I smiled slightly, again amazed by how light it was, when suddenly the hilt started to transform itself. Instantly, I had the thought that I should let go of it before it turned me into a toad or something, but to my horror, I couldn't seem to let go of it. Even Legolas seemed shocked. He hadn't expected this to happen. As we both watched, the leaves turned into small wings which spread out to the sides of the hilt, and the engraving of a drake in flight took shape in the middle of the hilt. The same was true for the other side. After that, nothing more happened.
We were both speechless for whole minutes until I broke the silence. "Well..." I began and let my voice trail off, not knowing what to say next.
"This is certainly an interesting development," a voice commented from somewhere in the library.
We spun around to see Elrond standing on the stairway, staring at the sword and I. He walked down the rest of the steps and walked over to where we stood. He kept his eyes on the sword the whole time, which was now reflecting so much light in the room that it almost seemed to be glowing. In addition, there was a unique energy flowing through me, and I felt like I could jump a ten foot wall or slice an entire troll in half. There was a growing desire in me to use this sword in battle.
"Forgive me," Legolas quickly said to Elrond. "It was not my place to show him this sword. I did not mean to-"
"Think nothing of it," Elrond interrupted, still staring at the shining weapon in my hand. "I had Aragorn try this sword years ago. He said he felt much stronger, but there was never any reaction like this."
The sword was brighter than ever. Not only did it get brighter, but everything else in the room seemed to get dimmer. Somehow, I don't think it was just my eyes adapting to the bright light. Also, there was now a slight humming noise, as if there were mosquito in the room, but with a sweeter and much more pleasing sound.
"Perhaps I should put it down," I suggested suddenly. I had the fear it might blow off the roof of the building if allowed to power up fully. Besides, it was doing something to me that felt really good, but I wasn't sure if that was actually such a good thing. The blood in my body was warm and churning around at a quickened pace. I felt like I could charge an entire army and cut down the rows of armoured soldiers like a knife through butter.
"Yes, I think that would be a good idea," Elrond replied almost right away, although his response had seemed to take forever in my warped state.
Surprisingly, I found it very difficult to let go of the sword and put it on the table. Finally, I pried my fingers away, and the sword hit the table with a loud clang. Without the sword in my hand, I suddenly felt drained and lifeless. There was a compulsion within me to reach out and grab the sword again.
"I haven't seen such a force since the Rings of Power," Elrond stated. "I don't understand what the difference between you and Aragorn was, though. Why couldn't he tap into the full extent of its power?" Elrond suddenly turned on me and looked me over carefully, as if checking to make sure that I was indeed a man.
"Perhaps it is because he comes from another world," Legolas speculated, although the look on his face showed he really had no clue what the answer was.
"Perhaps," Elrond replied, turning his attention back to the sword. He leaned down to scrutinize it. "The design has changed if I recall correctly."
"Yes," I confirmed while rubbing my wrists. I still felt drained from the experience, and my legs and arms felt like they were made of lead.
Elrond frowned. "This appears to be a dragon."
"It's a drake," I responded swiftly. Elrond and Legolas swung their heads in my direction after what I said.
With a frown on his face, Elrond stood up to peer at me inquisitively. "Yes," he said slowly, "I do believe it is a drake."
"Aren't they one and the same?" Legolas asked Elrond.
"Not always," Elrond replied, still staring at me. "They vary in shape, size, and behaviour depending on the region. In general, though, they remain in the north."
"Is the appearance of the drake significant?" I asked suddenly.
Elrond looked like he'd been slapped in the face by my question. He replied a few seconds later, "I don't know."
There was silence for a good portion of a minute (though it felt much longer). I finally decided to take control of the situation.
"Look, I'm no expert in these matters," I stated, "but perhaps the sword should be put away until we know more about it. Legolas, give me a regular sword for the time being."
Elrond nodded and proceeded to carefully lay the sword back in its casket. Legolas walked over to a corner of the room and came back with another sword in a thick leather sheath. This one turned out to be entirely silver with one large blue sapphire embedded in each side of the hilt. Fortunately, this sword did not have the same effect when brought into contact with my hand. After putting away the sword in question, Elrond came back to Legolas and I.
"This incident must remain between the three of us until I have looked into this further," Elrond told us, although it was more a command than a suggestion. We all agreed on this.
"Well," I said to Legolas, "we'd better get to the courtyard, or Shea and Lauren are going to question your ability to wash dishes."
Legolas gave me a slight grin, and we each said good day to Elrond before leaving.
Once we were out of the building, I asked Legolas why he hadn't had either Shea or Lauren try the sword before now. He seemed to think that one over thoroughly and couldn't give me a definite answer.
"I suppose I hadn't thought of it," he finally told me.
This is my first fanfic for Lord of the Rings. Actually, this would be my first fanfic period. So anyways, enjoy the readin'!
Also, I would like to thank Shea and Lauren for assisting me in Elven names and Sindarin translations.
4. THE SWORD
We all had lunch together with Legolas and many of the other elves, but Elrond wasn't there for some reason. I couldn't help but wonder where he was. Had I truly worried him by mentioning the Fire Relic? I hoped I hadn't done anything truly catastrophic to this world. After all, they had all been so nice to my friends and I. They had been our gracious hosts, giving us food and shelter, and I didn't want to be the cause of trouble for them.
In the background, I could hear Shea and Lauren asking Legolas questions about whether this or that was true, and asking him to tell them tales of his great experiences in the land. Legolas seemed most happy to oblige, and he told them of encounters with whole contingents of orcs, fighting giants, trolls, and other huge and hideous beasts. Although they say Elrond is the best storyteller around, I'd say Legolas was pretty good at it too. He descriptively told of every swing of the sword he made, every shot of the bow and arrow, and every duck, jump, and run to avoid getting creamed by all his foes. The girls' faces were lit up with delight, and I think Legolas was enjoying the narration of his tales too. I smiled slightly to see everyone having such a good time. Somehow, though, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had done something wrong, and as a result, wasn't in the spirit to join their conversation. Somehow, some way, I felt I must make up for my blunder with the Fire Relic and repay the elves in some grandiose way.
Legolas brought me out of my mulling suddenly when he asked if I would like some more bread, lifting the basket of it up. I replied with a no and a shake of my head, but I thanked him for the offer. He shrugged slightly and put the basket back down. Almost immediately after, Shea started asking more questions, and he responded with a smile on his face. I could see in his eyes, though, that he knew I was worried about something. I had to admire that trait in the elves. They were very perceptive, and it was hard to hide anything from them.
When lunch finished, Legolas told us all he'd give us some sword training this afternoon. He told Shea and Lauren he'd be right down as soon as he'd cleaned up.
"Oh, we'll help you with the mess," Shea promptly stated and started picking up bowls and stacking them up to carry to the kitchen.
"Yeah," Lauren quipped, and she started a similar process.
"No, that's all right," Legolas replied rather fast, putting a hand on Shea's shoulder. "This won't take long anyways. Besides, you're our guests, and we can't have our guests scrubbing the dishes."
After a moment's hesitation, Shea and Lauren agreed and went down to the courtyard with two other elves.
I was about to leave myself when Legolas said, "Wait." I did so until he had finished carrying all the dishes away. He then returned and indicated I sit down again. Once we were both seated at the table, he began.
"It's not your fault," he told me. "Elrond informed me of the Fire Relic and how it brought you here, but that's not what's bothering him so much."
"Then what is it?" I questioned.
Legolas stared at the table, then out to the beautiful blue and cloudless sky, the lush forests, the rushing waterfalls full of tranquil water, and the ever quiet yet dominating mountains. He gave a deep sigh, still gazing at the landscape, and said, "The House of Elrond has been kept safe for many, many years because its location is a secret. This paradise, our home, will not stay that way forever, though. The threat of the orcs advances, and there may come a day when they discover Rivendell." He turned to look at me, continuing, "Elrond is especially concerned for your safety, the three of you. He does not want any of you to get hurt as a result of our ongoing conflict with the orcs, and neither do I. So please believe me when I say none of this is your fault."
I nodded slowly, but I think he could see that I wasn't entirely convinced. Legolas stared down at the table and seemed to be pondering something for a moment. Then he got up and motioned for me to follow him. He led me down a flight of stairs into a large library. There were thousands of books, scrolls, and collections of parchments lining the walls on huge wooden shelves. On the tables lay many objects that no doubt were filled with the elves' magic. I couldn't help but stare at the massive amounts of information which must reside here.
Upon seeing the look of wonder on my face, Legolas said, "Elrond has tried very hard to collect and preserve the writings and crafts of our people throughout the ages. So much has been lost to war." There was a sad look in his eyes, and I nodded understandingly.
Legolas brought me to a table across the room with a small casket lying in the middle. He opened it and pulled out a short sword. After a slight pause, he handed it to me. I accepted it, and the moment I held it, I realized how remarkably light it was. The blade was a gleaming silver, and there were lines of runes engraved on the part of the blade closest to the hilt.
"What do they say?" I asked, looking up to Legolas.
"It is written in an ancient tongue that only Elrond can read," Legolas answered. "He says the sword was made by the most talented elven smiths and a powerful enchantment was put on it by an elven priestess thousands of years ago. The writing itself claims the user becomes twice as strong when bearing the sword and gains an agility which rivals only the quickest of animals. It has been useless to us, though, for the enchantment was designed to take effect only when the hands of men hold this sword."
"Oh," I said with a look of awe.
The hilt itself was gold coloured and had intricate designs of leaves on it. Up until now, I had been resting the sword on the palms of my hands. Now I reached around with my right hand and held it by the hilt. I smiled slightly, again amazed by how light it was, when suddenly the hilt started to transform itself. Instantly, I had the thought that I should let go of it before it turned me into a toad or something, but to my horror, I couldn't seem to let go of it. Even Legolas seemed shocked. He hadn't expected this to happen. As we both watched, the leaves turned into small wings which spread out to the sides of the hilt, and the engraving of a drake in flight took shape in the middle of the hilt. The same was true for the other side. After that, nothing more happened.
We were both speechless for whole minutes until I broke the silence. "Well..." I began and let my voice trail off, not knowing what to say next.
"This is certainly an interesting development," a voice commented from somewhere in the library.
We spun around to see Elrond standing on the stairway, staring at the sword and I. He walked down the rest of the steps and walked over to where we stood. He kept his eyes on the sword the whole time, which was now reflecting so much light in the room that it almost seemed to be glowing. In addition, there was a unique energy flowing through me, and I felt like I could jump a ten foot wall or slice an entire troll in half. There was a growing desire in me to use this sword in battle.
"Forgive me," Legolas quickly said to Elrond. "It was not my place to show him this sword. I did not mean to-"
"Think nothing of it," Elrond interrupted, still staring at the shining weapon in my hand. "I had Aragorn try this sword years ago. He said he felt much stronger, but there was never any reaction like this."
The sword was brighter than ever. Not only did it get brighter, but everything else in the room seemed to get dimmer. Somehow, I don't think it was just my eyes adapting to the bright light. Also, there was now a slight humming noise, as if there were mosquito in the room, but with a sweeter and much more pleasing sound.
"Perhaps I should put it down," I suggested suddenly. I had the fear it might blow off the roof of the building if allowed to power up fully. Besides, it was doing something to me that felt really good, but I wasn't sure if that was actually such a good thing. The blood in my body was warm and churning around at a quickened pace. I felt like I could charge an entire army and cut down the rows of armoured soldiers like a knife through butter.
"Yes, I think that would be a good idea," Elrond replied almost right away, although his response had seemed to take forever in my warped state.
Surprisingly, I found it very difficult to let go of the sword and put it on the table. Finally, I pried my fingers away, and the sword hit the table with a loud clang. Without the sword in my hand, I suddenly felt drained and lifeless. There was a compulsion within me to reach out and grab the sword again.
"I haven't seen such a force since the Rings of Power," Elrond stated. "I don't understand what the difference between you and Aragorn was, though. Why couldn't he tap into the full extent of its power?" Elrond suddenly turned on me and looked me over carefully, as if checking to make sure that I was indeed a man.
"Perhaps it is because he comes from another world," Legolas speculated, although the look on his face showed he really had no clue what the answer was.
"Perhaps," Elrond replied, turning his attention back to the sword. He leaned down to scrutinize it. "The design has changed if I recall correctly."
"Yes," I confirmed while rubbing my wrists. I still felt drained from the experience, and my legs and arms felt like they were made of lead.
Elrond frowned. "This appears to be a dragon."
"It's a drake," I responded swiftly. Elrond and Legolas swung their heads in my direction after what I said.
With a frown on his face, Elrond stood up to peer at me inquisitively. "Yes," he said slowly, "I do believe it is a drake."
"Aren't they one and the same?" Legolas asked Elrond.
"Not always," Elrond replied, still staring at me. "They vary in shape, size, and behaviour depending on the region. In general, though, they remain in the north."
"Is the appearance of the drake significant?" I asked suddenly.
Elrond looked like he'd been slapped in the face by my question. He replied a few seconds later, "I don't know."
There was silence for a good portion of a minute (though it felt much longer). I finally decided to take control of the situation.
"Look, I'm no expert in these matters," I stated, "but perhaps the sword should be put away until we know more about it. Legolas, give me a regular sword for the time being."
Elrond nodded and proceeded to carefully lay the sword back in its casket. Legolas walked over to a corner of the room and came back with another sword in a thick leather sheath. This one turned out to be entirely silver with one large blue sapphire embedded in each side of the hilt. Fortunately, this sword did not have the same effect when brought into contact with my hand. After putting away the sword in question, Elrond came back to Legolas and I.
"This incident must remain between the three of us until I have looked into this further," Elrond told us, although it was more a command than a suggestion. We all agreed on this.
"Well," I said to Legolas, "we'd better get to the courtyard, or Shea and Lauren are going to question your ability to wash dishes."
Legolas gave me a slight grin, and we each said good day to Elrond before leaving.
Once we were out of the building, I asked Legolas why he hadn't had either Shea or Lauren try the sword before now. He seemed to think that one over thoroughly and couldn't give me a definite answer.
"I suppose I hadn't thought of it," he finally told me.