It was still a few hours before sunset when the party descended into the valley of Imladris. Houses and balconies started to emerge from the forest in a dreamlike sight. The rushing sound of the waterfalls filled her ears; joining in the joyous song of the trees as their glittering waters splashed the dark, wet rocks. Nothing Elerrina had ever seen or imagined did justice to the sight of Rivendell. No words could be used to describe it.
Her dazed eyes darted from left to right, trying to absorb every detail, every building, and every waterfall; trying to print every image, sound and smell into her memory. She felt that the atmosphere in the valley was also different. The wind was different, it sung softly, like a distant choir, in a language with no words. It was alive.
"Do you like it?" She heard Elrohir's voice ask her.
"It is quite a sight" she heard the dark haired elf laugh lightly at her choice of words.
Elladan was engaged in a conversation with Glorfindel in elvish language. For a moment she wished she could understand what they were saying because whatever the blond elf had said had caused Elladan to laugh hysterically.
The party of elves stopped upon arriving at an ample courtyard, at the main entrance of the biggest and most beautiful house Elerrina had yet seen in the valley. The elven warriors started to jump off their horses, their fine cloaks flying in the wind. A group of elves that had formed at the front steps of the house was now approaching them, waiting to receive the homecoming patrol.
She felt Elrohir dismount in a graceful leap, extending one of his hands for her to take, gently helping her down onto the soft grass. She watched Elladan and Glorfindel both jump off their horses as gracefully as Elrohir had done.
"It is good to have you back, my lords" said a silver haired elf taking the reins of the three horses and leading them to the stables. Elerrina noticed that two other elves had appeared to lead the horses of the rest of the party away.
She wondered, confused, at the tittle the elf had used upon addressing the twins. The elves from the patrol had also used such title. She wondered if the twins belonged to some noble or rich family in the valley, perhaps the sons of a well-known warrior, or a member of the council.
"Thank you, Maedil" said Elrohir tipping his head forward. "Have you seen Lord Elrond?"
"I believe he is in his study" The twins nodded their heads in thanks as they turned and walked quickly into the house. She watched as they climbed the front steps two at a time, Elladan stopping by a fair haired elven maiden to give her some words in elvish before the two mirror images disappeared into the house, Glorfindel following close behind.
She stood there in the spot, not sure of what to do or where to go. The twins had given her no indication for her to follow them, nor did they look back as they stormed into the house.
"My lady" Elerrina turned to face the fair-haired maiden who had, from what it seemed, just received orders from Elladan. She looked young, her pale features finely delineated and a sparkle of gentleness gleamed in her morning sky eyes.
"I am Faelilla" she said with a slight bow, her platinum locks cascading at the sides of her face. "If you would follow me, I will show you to a room"
"Thank you" She answered also bowing her head slightly. "I am Elerrina"
The fair-haired maiden smiled before indicating Elerrina to follow her into the house. The entrance hall was simply majestic. Large windows with pointed arches filtered the light into the ample space and richly carved columns rose in an elegant march, seeming almost too delicate and frail to support any weight.
Faelilla guided her through an enchanted labyrinth or arched corridors and wide halls, up staircases that curved from the ground and interior gardens, until they entered into a lighted room. A large bed was placed against the west wall in the center of room, its soft lavender covers shining strangely at the sunset light. A balcony, with matching soft lavender curtains, extended out of the east wall, overlooking the gardens.
Half an hour later, Elerrina found herself washed and wearing a pale rose elven dress, embroidered in thin, delicate patterns at the neckline. Faelilla was patiently carrying her task of braiding her golden hair in the elven manner, when someone knocked lightly on the door. Faelilla looked at her expectantly, and Elerrina understood that it was up to give permission to enter the room.
"Enter" she said calmly. It felt strange to give the order, especially in a foreign place where she expected to be on the receiving end of any order. Se heard the door opening and saw a young dark haired elf appear in the doorway.
"My ladies" he said, bowing slightly at the two occupants of the room. Then he turned to look directly at Elerrina and added "Lord Elrond will see you now,Lady Elerrina"
Elerrina nodded her head, stood up straight and thanked Faelilla before following the dark haired elf into the corridors of house. Lord Elrond's house, she thought, as she understood finally where she had been brought. She had not expected to be brought into the Master of Rivendell's house, much less be offered a room there.
Her nerves only grew with every step she took. She had heard plenty about the mighty elven lord from some men in the village. Plenty about how his powers extended over the forest and river. Plenty about his incredible healing abilities and wisdom. Yet, the elf had always remained a painted illustration she had found only in books.
The elf stopped in front of a pair of large, carved, oak doors with two elf guards flanking its sides. He knocked lightly on one of the doors.
"You may enter" came the reply from the inside. The voice was calmed, yet it carried so much authority and power.
The dark haired elf open one of the heavy doors and stepped into the room, signaling Elerrina to wait by the doorway.
"My Lord, here is Lady Elerrina" she heard him say.
"Thank you, Lindir, let her in"
She saw Lindir nod at her and nervously stepped into the large study. She saw Lindir gave a respectful bow at his lord before turning on his heels and exiting the room, closing the door behind him.
The walls of the large study were filled with books of all heights and colors, some seemed relatively new while others looked as if they contained the stories of the first years of Middle Earth engraved on their pages.
She saw a tall dark haired elf standing behind a large oak desk, and was surprised to see two very familiar faces sitting comfortably on the other side. Elladan and Elrohir sat looking directly at her, both in clean, elegant tunics. Now, without the green and blue cloaks to help her, Elerrina could not tell them apart. Their hairs had also been combed into fine braids attached in a half ponytail behind their heads. Both of the twins stood up as she entered the room. They looked like elven royalty.
"Welcome to Imladris, my Lady. I am Elrond." spoke the tall elf, diverting her attention from the twins and back to him. Elerrina felt her heart skip a beat as the mighty character of her childhood stories materialized in flesh and blood in front of her. His dark hair fell elegantly braided down his shoulders and back, and he wore a long formal robe the color of a blue night sky, embroidered in rich silver threat that traced delicate leaves along his heck and shoulders. A silver circlet shone neatly placed on top of his head. His face was ageless, but his silver eyes sparkled with the knowledge of many millennia. They were kind and welcoming giving a feeling of peace she had never felt before.
Elerrina found herself mute as she noticed how much the twins resembled the Elf-Lord. All three figures in the room shared the same ebony hair, but it was the grey eyes what impacted Elerrina the most. All three pairs of silver eyes were deep and absorbing, showing endless kindness and softness and at the same time piercing into her soul until she felt that she was drowning in a pool of silver.
There was also something else about the Elf-Lord that dragged her attention. There was some sort of power that surrounded him, a kind of supernatural force she could not comprehend.
"My sons, here, have already informed me of everything" Elrond continued, signaling at the twins with one extended hand as he spoke "I am deeply sorry for your loss. We will be more than happy to have you stay here in Imladris. You are welcome to stay at my house"
His sons. She knew she must have looked completely taken by surprise because she saw the twins flash her identical grins as their father spoke.
"The twins have also spoken to me very fondly of you. They tell me you are an easy person to like" Both of the twins were fully grinning now.
"I would say it is the other way around, my Lord" she added "They have been really kind to me, and are easy to like and befriend"
She saw one of the twins, the one dressed in pale gold, raise an eyebrow at her, pointing out her lie. Elladan. Lord Elrond, however, did not seem to notice the exchange of looks between Elerrina and his sons.
"I see, I am gla…" Elrond was cut off by Elladan, who suddenly decided to speak
"In fact, Ada, we became so close friends that Elerrina, here, accepted my offer to escort her to the feast of tomorrow night. Since she is new to Imladris, I thought me and Ro could show her around, especially since she is also unfamiliar with the elven kind"
He threw her a daring look as he turned to face the Elf-Lord, his face now looking completely innocent and with the most pure intentions. She felt herself burn of rage from the inside. Elrohir, quick in understanding his brother's game, also turned to look at his father, his eyes as innocent and pure as Elladan's.
" I see" said Lord Elrond, looking warily at the twins, an eyebrow raised. It was clear that he suspected the twins were plotting something, and also, that it was far from being the first time his sons wanted to play pranks on other elves.
"Thank you, Elladan for inviting Elerrina to assist with you tomorrow evening." Elrond's words were kind, but his eyes threw Elladan a warning look.
As the Elf-Lord placed a hand over the large desk while he continued to speak, Elerrina's attention was drawn towards a delicate golden band around his right hand's third finger. Upon the laced gold sat a glowing blue stone. Her eyes were lost into the peculiar ring as she felt it slowly start to whisper. It was a soft whisper of foreign words, like an echo ringing in her ears. The ring was alive. She felt the ring surrounded by the same mysterious power that surrounded the Elf-Lord.
Suddenly she heard Elrond stop talking as he noticed her staring at his hand. He pulled the hand away and folded his left hand over it upon his lap, indiscreetly hiding the ring from her view.
"Is something the matter, my lady?" He asked. Elerrina quickly looked away from his hand, embarrassed to be caught staring.
"I am sorry, my Lord. I am only tired" she lied. As she looked into his eyes she knew that he had caught her lie. His grey eyes were now looking at her warily, tense, and yet his composure remained relaxed.
"I am sorry for keeping you. " he said as he stood up again, the twins copying him. "I am very interested in speaking with you after you have rested. I will be grateful if you could then tell me about you. I must admit I am curious about you being raised by men."
"Thank you, my Lord. It will be my pleasure to tell you about it" As she stood up she noticed that Elrond still held his right hand away from her view.
In that moment a soft breeze entered the room through one of the open windows. She heard voices in the wind, just as she had heard when they had entered the valley. The whispers were louder now and she heard the ring whisper loudly in return, as the breeze extinguished. The ring was alive, and so was the wind. She gasped as her eyes turned quickly towards Lord Elron'ds hand where the ring was kept from her sight., trying to find the ring that had spoken with the wind.
The Elf-Lord was frozen in front of her, his eyes deeply scrutinizing her. The twins seemed to not have noticed anything unusual for she could see them as they grazed, confused, between her and the Elf-Lord.
"You heard that" It was not a question but a statement, She looked confused at the Master of Rivendell as his eyes were kept fixed on her, wary. Elerrina did not know what to answer. Was she not supposed to have heard the wind? She did not know what was happening, or what had caused the Elf-Lord's sudden coldness.
She saw Lord Elrond close his eyes for a moment before looking intensively at her again. His gaze cold, defensive and betraying a hint of fear. She saw his self-consciousness as he kept his hand hidden in his rich robe.
"You saw it"
Here is another chapter! It's a little bit longer, but I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!
Love,
Elena