Chapter 24 ended with:
Valerie was not surprised that Sauron was making allies around Mordor. If she remembered correctly, there was a wizard in Isengard. Was it the white one or the gray one? The fog in her mind did not allow her to remember that.
Chapter 25 – The Rider of Ithilien
Imladris, Year 3018 of the Third Age
2 years later
Phoebe and Legolas passed the gates of Imladris, surrounded by many Greenwood warriors. They had ridden almost without stop since they had left, in a hurry to share the disturbing news. Shame had been brought upon Greenwood, but hope also.
As they directed their horses to the stables, they were surprised to see that people from many races were walking in the direction of the area where Elrond liked to hold his councils. They dismounted quickly and gave their horses to the stable master. Erestor arrived in the meantime, welcoming them with the respect due to their royal station. If he was surprised to see them, he did not show it.
"Your Highness, welcome to Imladris," he said, bowing deeply in front of the queen of Greenwood.
"What is happening, Erestor? Why are all these people here?"
"Lord Elrond is organizing a council to discuss... a very important matter."
Phoebe stared at him, expecting the ellon to tell them what that matter was exactly.
"You are more than welcome to join us," he invited them instead. "I am certain that Lord Elrond will be pleased to see you. So will your adar," he added.
"Whatever it is Lord Elrond wants to discuss with all these people, we have something much more important to tell him." Legolas nodded to support her words.
"I doubt it," Erestor said gravely. "Please join us, and we can talk about your news after the council."
Phoebe sighed with an impatience and a hauteur that the scholar had only seen in Thranduil, but they followed him without protesting any further. The council had not started when they reached the group.
"Lady Phoebe, Lord Legolas, welcome to Imladris!" Elrond said while the others were watching them warily, especially the dwarves.
Phoebe nodded to the lord but went directly to her adar, who stood to welcome her with open arms.
"Such an unexpected pleasure," he whispered in her ear. He had changed since her mother's disappearance. He had lost some weight, lost the light there used to be in his eyes. Although he was still accomplishing his duties, his heart was no longer into it.
"Ada," she murmured, "we need to talk. Leave this council, come with me. Please! It is important!"
"Sweetie," he said, using the term of endearment her mother had used to call all her daughters, "this council is important too. We will finish it and then, we will do a family gathering."
Phoebe knew all her siblings were in Imladris. Oropher had sworn that he would not sail to Valinor to be reunited with his mate before his parents were reunited themselves. Or until... a body was found, but it was something the family refused to discuss. Galadhon and Nimrodel had not returned to Lothlorien since that day either. Even Mithrellas had spent the last years in Imladris to support their adar. Legolas had decided to travel to Imladris with Phoebe to spend some time with his mate.
Eight years had passed since Valerie's disappearance, and Phoebe knew she may have the first encouraging information since that terrible day. Her adar and her brothers had relentlessly searched for Valerie in the mountains for many years, helped by Elladan and Elrohir. Even Estel had participated in the searches with some of his rangers. They would be thrilled to know what she now knew.
"This council is critical," Glorfindel insisted darkly.
Phoebe nodded and sat on the chair that a servant had brought. She nodded to Estel and Mithrandir, and watched with interest the small hobbit who was sitting beside the wizard.
The council started, and Elrond announced that Sauron's Ring had been found and it needed to be destroyed. Legolas stood during the meeting and announced that the creature Gollum, which Estel had put in their care, had escaped, helped by orcs. Estel's disappointment was palpable and so was Legolas' shame. As captain of the Greenwood guard, he was responsible for the mistake if his warriors.
When the hobbit volunteered to bring the Ring to Mordor, Legolas volunteered to help him in his quest.
"What about my mother?" Phoebe asked, grabbing his arm before he could join the people gathering around the hobbit.
"Your brothers will be there," he reminded her. "The best way to help her is to make sure Sauron is defeated. Furthermore, I am remedying for Greenwood's mistake by the same token. You know how my adar is ashamed of that second escape in our history."
Phoebe could only agree that Legolas was right on both counts. And if the information she had received was right, the defeat of Sauron was key in getting her mother back with them.
The council ended with the group of nine companions agreeing to meet later to decide on a course for their future quest.
Once the hobbits, dwarves and men had left the council, Erestor went back to the manor to get Glorfindel's family. Phoebe asked Estel to stay with them, since he had always been considered a sibling by them all. Mithrandir requested to be invited as well, which Phoebe agreed to. After all, Mithrandir had always liked her naneth very much.
When Valerie's children arrived, with Allison, Elrohir and Elladan in tow, they all greeted Phoebe and Legolas with surprise but pleasure. Mithrellas ran into Legolas' arms, crying that she had known he was close to her. Phoebe wondered how Legolas would tell his mate that he had just volunteered to go on a quest that may claim his life. She knew she would hit Thranduil if he ever did something like that. However, she knew her mate would never throw himself into a desperate quest like his son had just done.
All could see that she had something important to share, that for once, there was hope in her eyes. She could feel their nervousness. They all sat around her while she stood in the middle, watching them warily. Valar, how she hoped she was right.
"The creature Gollum," she started, "was held captive in our dungeons for months. Mithrandir had caught him roaming in the woods and given him to Estel to bring to Greenwood for safekeeping." Everyone nodded. So far, they were not hearing anything new. "Months and months of lamenting, of this creature talking to himself, complaining about his detention conditions being the worst since... Barad-dur."
Everyone looked at each other. It seemed only Mithrandir and Estel had known that, and they had omitted to tell the others.
"Is this how the Nazguls know about Bilbo? About the Shire?" Elrond asked, displeased.
"Yes," Mithrandir admitted.
"Why did you not tell us? Why did you withhold that information?" the lord continued his interrogation.
"I told Frodo," the wizard feebly said.
Legolas snorted. "There was something else Mithrandir knew. Something he did not want us to know," he speculated.
"He probably hoped we would not listen to Gollum's babbling, or that we would not connect the dots," Phoebe continued. "All I hope is that Estel was not part of this."
"Part of what?" the ranger asked.
"When Gollum was brought to Barad-dur, he heard the orcs talking about Sauron's lady. A Lady Daeris, Queen of the Shadows. A she-elf of great beauty, with hair red as fire when a sun ray was passing through the dark clouds above Mordor."
Glorfindel stood.
"As far as I know, there are only two she-elves with such red hair in Middle Earth," Phoebe shouted, facing the wizard, her anger rising. "Why? Why did you not tell us?"
"Are you sure it is her?" Oropher asked.
"No," Phoebe admitted. "We have not seen her. But I am planning to go see."
"In Mordor?" Nimrodel cried. "No! It is too dangerous!"
"We need to go," Glorfindel stated. "I need to know. If it is her indeed, we must rescue her." There was a light in his eyes, one they had not seen in many years.
"Why were you hiding this information?" Elrond asked the wizard.
"If she had been found before, many of us would have sailed, leaving Middle Earth behind," Nimrodel guessed. It was certain that Oropher would have sailed, and probably herself, since she hoped that her beloved was reborn in Valinor. Turgon and Galadhon were less certain, but may have sailed too, especially if Valerie had been forced to sail after her captivity.
"We needed you here, all of you, for this war that is about to start," the wizard explained, his eyes staring at the ground. "Dol Amroth must support the White City should it be attacked by Mordor, and we need Mithrellas to write to Prince Imrahil to remind him of his commitment. We believe that Greenwood or Lothlorien may be attacked by Dol Guldur, and the presence of Galadhon, Nimrodel and Oropher will revive the ardor of these realms. And if Turgon and Gil-galad demand that all Noldorin warriors fight for the other realms, both elven and human, there will be enough elven warriors on all the battlefields of Middle Earth to help eliminate some of the threats."
"And you thought sacrificing my naneth was an option?" Gil-galad asked. The High King of the Noldor was playing with his sword, and his sister Mithrellas, sitting beside him, put a gentle hand on his.
"We can discuss Mithrandir's behavior later," she said. "We need to look at this information logically. I agree that there are no other red-haired elleth in Middle Earth. Is there any other information?"
"This is all we have," Legolas answered.
"There is more," Estel added. "I had never thought that this information was crucial. But my rangers have reported seeing once a cloaked rider in the woods of Ithilien, near Minas Morgul. A light horseman on a strong stallion, followed by two Nazguls on their own beasts. They were following the rider, allowing him to go wherever he wanted. Guarding him, but deferentially. I had not believed it at the time. And never imagined that this rider could have been a female."
"If it is her, we must take her back." Glorfindel was not going to leave his mate in the hands of Sauron for much longer.
"We have to plan this properly," Lord Elrond said, cooling his ardor. "If indeed this rider is Valerie, then we must remember that she has been captive for 8 years. They call her Sauron's queen. Queen of the Shadows is her name. Why? Did he bind himself to her?"
"Sauron has no corporeal form," Mithrandir reminded them. "He cannot do... certain things yet."
"And we must make sure it does not happen. If he gets his ring back, who knows what he will do to Mother?" Phoebe asked.
"Sauron may not have a human form yet... but he can adopt other shapes," Elrond said delicately. He had seen it, the black mist, decades ago in Dol Guldur. That black mist had been able to kill. Was it able to bind an elleth into a bond of evil?
"Impossible," Glorfindel stated. "I can still feel our bond. For years, I have told you that she was still alive."
"But unresponsive..." Galadhon reminded him.
"Yes," the captain agreed. "I can feel the bond, but it is blocked on her end. She cannot be bound to Sauron. I would have felt our bond breaking. We still have time before it is too late."
"What if she does not want to be saved?" Elladan asked. Everyone looked at him, daggers in their eyes.
"My son brings up a good point," Elrond admitted after a while. "If it is her indeed, she has been seen riding in Ithilien, without trying to escape."
"Followed by Nazguls, this leaves very little chance of escape, do you not think?" Turgon said.
"We have to realize she may be... different." Mithrellas looked at her father. "8 years in Mordor, surrounded by orcs and Nazguls. With the Great Eye so close, so near..."
"I will not abandon her, even if Valerie was turned into a Nazgul!"
"Then we must prepare this expedition," Oropher said. "Who is with me? All my brothers, I hope?"
"You will not leave me out of this," Phoebe warned.
"I wish I had not just accepted to escort Frodo," Estel said.
"Your role will be very important," Elrond reminded him.
"I would like to be there," Allison said. "Maybe she will require medical help."
"I cannot allow you to go," Elrohir decided. "This is too dangerous."
"Phoebe is going!" Allison cried.
"I am a warrior first and foremost!" the queen of Greenwood stated, insulted to the core.
"We cannot send too many people. It needs to remain a covert operation. Success can only be attained with a swift, unexpected operation with very few warriors." Elrond was being realistic. "If medical or magical help is needed, you will have to bring her to Lothlorien. Galadriel will know what to do. Glorfindel, you will lead this expedition. Choose who your companions will be."
"I will bring all my sons," he decided, "I cannot leave one of them behind." Said-sons all nodded in agreement. None of them would have accepted to be left behind. "Phoebe also."
Elrond's sons looked disappointed to be left out, but all of Glorfindel's sons and Phoebe were great warriors. They could be trusted to succeed in this mission.
"Then let us plan. We should leave within the week." Now that he knew that his mate may be captive in Minas Morgul, Glorfindel wanted her back immediately.
OoOoO
Woods of Ithilien
Near Minas Morgul
They had been observing Minas Morgul for at least two weeks, hidden in the woods, waiting for the gates of the fortress to open, letting pass a small rider, usually followed by another massive one. They had seen them every second day. Three times, the small rider had been alone, without any guard. Each time, the rider was taking a different road than when the guard was there. A longer ride, spending more time in the woods, even stopping to touch the trees.
They had yet to see the face or hair of the rider. They still did not know if this was Valerie or not.
Their plan was set. Their group was split in two, with Turgon as a scout near the gates of Minas Morgul. If he saw one rider, he would whistle to the team that was posted on the way of the long ride. If they were two, he would whistle to the other team, posted along the other way. Either way, the rest of the group would reach the other quickly, to get rid of the guard should there be one.
OoOoO
Valerie was now allowed to ride alone. She had no idea what she had done to deserve this. The mist had visited her a few weeks back, and she had felt the satisfaction of the voice in her head. Sauron was pleased, convinced that she was a faithful servant, not that she had any choice. But she had not done or thought anything to raise his suspicions. Her mind was blank, she had accepted that this was her life now. Sauron was about to find his ring, that, he knew. He had promised her that as soon as he got his ring back, he would make her his queen, give her a ring too.
That night, once the mist had left her room after giving her physical pleasure, she had stared at her hands, the memory that she had been wearing a ring in the past clear in her mind. Where was it? She could not remember.
When the Mouth visited her, he asked if she wanted an escort for her ride. She declined and told him she would see him the next day. An orc prepared her horse, a beautiful black stallion that the Master had given her a few years back. It had been stolen from the Horse Lords of Rohan. She looked at the sky, seeing clouds covering the region. It was always cloudy but rarely rained. She hated rain, it was cold, with nothing to warm her up.
She mounted and asked for the gate to be opened. Slowly, with a loud, creaking noise, one gate opened just enough to let her pass. She launched her horse right away, and did not stop when she heard a strange bird around the end of the bridge. She kept going in the direction of the forest, the speed giving her an exhilarating feeling of freedom. She laughed for the first time in a long time, until she saw a movement near her.
She was being followed. She changed her usual course, her heart almost exploding in her chest. This was different than usual. The Mouth and the Nazguls were calmly following her, knowing she would eventually turn back. Whoever was following her wanted to catch her and then what? Memories of having been in a similar situation flooded her mind. She pushed her stallion faster, suddenly scared of what would happen to her this time. Behind her, she could hear three riders. She took a path to her left but saw two more riders blocking her way. How many people are chasing me? she wondered in dismay. And why? She regretted refusing the presence of the Mouth for her ride today. He would have saved her, he was very deadly with a sword. He had killed countless orcs over the years, it was an entertaining sport to him and the Nazguls. She took out her own sword, a blade she had barely used in the past, but maybe the riders would think she was a sword master and leave her alone.
She directed her mount to her right, but a rider was blocking that path too. She backed away against a tree, her horse nervous, and held her blade in front of her. Five riders were facing her, one in front of the others, probably their leader. They were wearing dark cloaks. She had no idea if they were men or elves or anything else. The leader extended a hand in her direction, as if he was inviting her, inviting her to do what?
"What do you want from me?" she asked in the only language she had been using in the past years. The riders cringed violently upon hearing her.
She took advantage of their distress and launched her stallion in another direction. But before she got very far, another attacker she had not seen before jumped from a tree directly on her horse and made them both fall to the ground. Her head hit a rock and all became black.
"Quick, effective technique," Phoebe laughed as she stood up from the ground.
"You knocked her out!" Gil-galad cried in outrage.
"Yes, and in an instant, we will know if she is the one we are looking for," Oropher said, dismounting. They all followed his lead except Glorfindel.
"It was her voice," he mumbled. "Her voice, using the black speech. It hurt my fëa..."
"We will see," Phoebe said, kneeling beside the unconscious body of the rider. She gently turned it around, removed the hood and saw familiar red hair attached in a tight bun. She slowly caressed the cheeks, the straight nose and the high forehead. "It is her! Oh Mother! We have found you at last!" she said, kissing her forehead.
At that moment, Valerie came around and opened her eyes. Phoebe squeaked in surprise and backed a few feet away. Valerie saw her chance and bolted, but she was immediately caught by Turgon, who held her back to him so all could see her.
"Her eyes!" Phoebe cried, "Her eyes have changed!"
"Who are you?" Valerie cried, struggling against Turgon's hold. She had switched to Sindarin, hearing it was the language they were using. The language had come back to her naturally.
"Do you not know who we are?" an ellon asked, removing his hood. One by one, they all removed their hoods to reveal their faces. Some of them were looking at her with horrified eyes. Others seemed to be expecting something from her. Only the one still mounted on his horse had not removed his hood yet.
"She does not remember us!" the female who had hair so similar to hers said. "How did that happen?"
"You should let me go," Valerie recommended. These people could not imagine what they would unleash if they didn't let her go. "You have no idea what you have brought upon yourselves. Within a few hours, these woods will be crowded with orcs, looking for me. The Nazguls will join in the search. The Master will find you and kill you all brutally."
"We serve no master," one of the ellyn said, the one who had white hair.
"But she is right," another added. "We need to leave. She needs to be brought to Lothlorien."
"She will not go without a fight," the one holding her said.
"What are you talking about? Leave me alone!" Valerie cried.
"Bind her arms behind her back," another said, and within moments, her hands were bound quite tightly with hithlain rope.
"What are you doing?" she shouted. "This is folly! You will all be killed cruelly! You will be begging for a merciful death before the end!"
"She will ride with me," the rider said with a hoarse voice. A screaming and trashing Valerie was lifted from the ground and forced to sit in front of him. She immediately felt comfortable around him, while the others had scared her.
"Why are you taking me?"
"You belong with us, Valerie," the rider replied.
"You have the wrong person! My name is not Valerie, it is Daeris! I do not even know you!" she spat. "Where are you taking me?"
"Home."
"Minas Morgul is my home," she stated, quite convincingly. "This is where I belong!"
Glorfindel stared at her eyes for a long time while his children watched them. The fact that she did not recognize them, even him, was quite disturbing. Her pupils were a sure sign that Sauron had started taking possession of her, changing her into a creature of darkness. Was she too far gone? Even if she was, he could not leave her here, in the hands of Sauron. Even if she never remembered him, he would remain with her, take care of her in memory of all they had shared in the past.
The tension was high around him. His children all knew the dilemma he was facing. Would they leave without their poor naneth? He could read in all his children's faces that none of them would accept to leave her behind. They were all realizing and accepting her new situation, and would do what needed to be done in order to get their naneth back.
"No, it is not your home," he replied firmly to Valerie. "We ride for Lothlorien! We will not stop until we get there!"
OoOoO
Valerie had kept sharing the stallion of the ellon called Glorfindel. He was a man of few words, who was always watching her with a strange light in his eyes. All the males with them were beautiful beings to her eyes, especially after spending years with the orchish population of Mordor. But this Glorfindel, he was in a different league. She felt like she was cheating on the Master just by the images this ellon was creating in her mind.
His steed was a beautiful, pure white, strong war horse named Asfaloth. To her surprise, the horse seemed to have taken an immediate liking to her and she enjoyed caressing its strong neck. Realizing that she was not trying to escape, Glorfindel had unbound her hands after a few hours. They had ridden for two days without stop when he decided that they could stop to rest for a few hours in the nearby woods.
Valerie was lying on the ground, enveloped in her cloak, when she started feeling a call. The Master was looking for her. She looked around to see if the others could feel it, but they were in a circle talking without looking at her.
The screeching sounds took them by surprise. Soon, they saw a Nazgul flying high in the sky on his dragon, his screams freezing the blood in their veins. They came closer to Valerie to protect her, hiding under the trees.
"He is looking for me," she murmured. She looked at them and slowly stood. They stared at her, unable believe what she was doing. "He wants me back in Minas Morgul." She slowly walked to the border of the forest.
"She wants to be found and brought back to Sauron!" Oropher whispered, horrified.
"Of course not! Look at her! He is able to call her, she does not even seem aware of her actions!" Phoebe replied.
Glorfindel had followed Valerie and was gently pulling her back under the cover of the trees.
"The Master is angry that I am gone. He wants me back," she explained, her mind clearly in some sort of haze.
"Your family wants you back too," he replied, looking into her eyes. He was getting used to the strange, slightly feline shape of her pupils and the almost phosphorescent green of her eyes.
"My family?" She looked at Glorfindel pensively. "I have... no recollection of having a family. I have been alone for so long, always alone. Except when the Mouth is visiting me. And the Master..."
"The mouth?" Phoebe whispered to Turgon. He shrugged, indicating he had no idea what Valerie was talking about.
"Your family wants you back," Glorfindel insisted to avoid starting a discussion about Sauron, whose servant was flying above their heads. "They never stopped looking for you."
"You are bringing me to them? Is this where we are going?"
"Yes, we are bringing you to a lady who will help you be reunited with your family. Will you follow us, and avoid being found by Sauron's servants instead of looking for them?"
"No."
"I beg you pardon?" he asked. Valerie was clearly no longer confused and had clearly expressed her opinion. Why was she so firm about not being reunited with her family?
"Look at me! I know I have changed, I saw myself once in a mirror. My eyes... I am one of Sauron's servants now, I belong in Mordor. This family you say I have, they probably think I am dead. It is best if I do not come back from the dead and traumatize them with an unwelcome return."
"You are wrong," Glorfindel said forcefully. "Your mate, your children, they want you back. Please accept to come with us."
"If they reject me, what will happen to me? Will I be killed?"
"They will not reject you. I swear it to you."
Valerie observed him warily and shrugged. She went back to lie down in the woods, no longer attempting to be found by the Nazgul. Once he was gone, they mounted back on their steeds and rode again in the direction of Lothlorien.
"Your name is Glorfindel, right?" she asked him one day.
"Yes. Glorfindel, Lord of the Golden Flower."
"The Master hates someone called Glorfindel, like you. This ellon has a bond that he cannot break, despite all his efforts."
This seemed to please Glorfindel very much, although she could not fathom why.
They rode for days, rarely stopping, and Valerie would sometimes fall asleep, leaning against Glorfindel's chest with a familiarity that was completely unusual to her. His body was keeping her warm. He even was putting his own cloak around her when it rained. But his arm was always around her waist. She was now used to the security his arm brought her.
Sometimes, she was not sleeping but simply resting with her eyes closed, and she would listen to the conversations around her.
Why is she not recognizing anyone?
Will Lady Galadriel help her recover her memories?
What happened to her eyes? Has she started changing into something else? Is she evil now?
Glorfindel had answered that last question with an annoyed tone. She is still an elf. She is still mine.
She had shivered in his arms. Sauron's mist had told her the same. You are mine, his voice had hissed. She now was confused. Who did she belong to? Glorfindel? The Master? The mate she could not remember? And why did she need to belong to someone in the first place?
When the attention of the other elves was on some other topic, Glorfindel was whispering many things in her ear. She would close her eyes, letting herself be calmed by his words, words of love that she did not know existed, wondering why this ellon she had never seen before was expressing feelings such as those. What would her unknown mate have to say about the liberties Glorfindel was taking with her?
This day was no different. His warm breath was caressing her ear.
I have been looking for you for so long... I will never let you go again...You have been in my thoughts constantly...I could still feel you...
She felt his lips against her neck, while his arm drew her closer to his chest. She moaned. It had brought a memory of a male in the flesh, caressing her breasts while gently moving between her thighs... Ragged breaths and cries of pleasure...
You are responding to me...he whispered, his arm moving higher, above her waist, and she wished he would touch her breasts.
Are you the mate who has been waiting for me? she murmured feverishly. She was pretty sure he could hear the beating of her heart and smell her arousal. There was something about him, the handsomest male she had ever seen, that called to her. And spending days riding on the same horse did not help either of them to control their attraction.
I will let you know soon...
The elves surrounding them had smiled discreetly, recalling how their adar had never been very demonstrative in public. Eight years of separation could change an ellon...
They finally reached the border of Lothlorien, where guards welcomed them as if they had been expecting them. They were watching Valerie warily, their gazes drawn to her eyes. Self-conscious, Valerie hid her face with her hood. The wardens discussed if it was safe to bring her to their city, feeling the darkness she carried within. One of them argued that their lady had asked them to let the guests visit her regardless of what the Imladris people were bringing with them. They were allowed to continue their journey and they arrived in Caras Galadhon by nightfall, where Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were waiting for them.
Valerie heard that one of the elves in her escort was the father of the Lord of Lothlorien. She watched them greet each other with affection. The group congratulated themselves for the success of their mission.
The beautiful lady then turned to her. "I have not seen you in so long, my child," the Lady of Light said, taking Valerie's face between her two gracious hands. She looked at Valerie's eyes, her thumbs slowly caressing her eyelids. "Poor Valerie."
"This is not my name," she repeated again. Would these people stop calling her that unfamiliar name?
"What is your name, then?"
"I am Lady Daeris."
"This is not a name that fits you very well. You are not shadows, but light, fire, energy!"
"Have we met before?"
Celeborn looked at Valerie's children, asking for confirmation that their naneth did not recognize anyone, that she did not even know who she was.
"The mist is still there, in your mind, in your heart..." Galadriel whispered gently. "It obscures your memories, twists your interpretation of reality. Sauron left you in an emotional desert, starving you from any meaningful contact, until you thought his attentions were signs of love and care..."
Valerie just stared, mesmerized by what the lady was telling her.
"You are tired, and need to rest. A servant will bring you to a guest talan."
Valerie looked around, searching in the now familiar faces confirmation that it was safe to follow the servant.
"I will be there with you shortly. You know you can trust me," Glorfindel told her.
He watched her follow the servant suspiciously, watching around her for danger, ready to bolt at any sign of threat. As soon as she was out of sight, they circled around Lady Galadriel.
"Sauron is still there, in her. I will need to draw him out. It may be... difficult."
"Will she eventually remember?"
"I hope so, although I cannot guarantee it. You may have to make her fall in love with you all over again," she gently told Glorfindel. "But even if that were the case, you are troubling her greatly already."
"Our bond is still there."
"It will make my work easier. Bring her to me tomorrow."
"What about her eyes?"
"Hopefully, something can be done about that too. If Mithrandir had been around, he may have been a great help. The fellowship left Imladris a few weeks ago. I have not seen where they are at the moment in my mirror."
"Let us pray the Valar that they are successful. Sauron needs to be destroyed. Or he will be looking for Valerie until he gets her back..."
When Glorfindel entered the bedroom where Valerie was already sleeping, exhausted, he hesitated between sleeping on a chair or in her bed. They had been together for weeks, but never truly alone, and never alone in a bed. He was worried about Valerie, about the fact that the darkness was still in her mind. He was also worried about his own self-control. She was there, finally there, back with him. Could he resist his impulses?
He opted for lying in the bed, with a good distance between them. She was sleeping on her side, her back turned to him. He listened to her breathing and watched her chest move a little with each breath she was taking. He gently pulled away the silky sheet that was covering her body. Her back was still the same, her waist, her firm bottom, he remembered her body all too clearly. He touched her waist with his fingertips, following the curves of her hip, her waist, stopped before the swell of her breast.
He brought his hand back closer to his body and closed his eyes. He slept, slept like he had not slept in 8 years.
OoOoO
Galadriel was weaker than she had been in decades. She could barely stand, feeling that her knees were about to give out. She remembered feeling like this after she had exiled Sauron in Mordor. Elrond had been there to take care of her, to bring her to safety until she was strong enough to go back to Lothlorien. But today, she was home and Celeborn was waiting for her outside of the talan. He would take care of her... once she was done with her task.
With her hands on Valerie's temple, she continued the litany of spells that were supposed to extract from Valerie's mind and body any darkness that Sauron had purposely planted there. But whatever evil he had left in the poor elleth, it did not want to come out.
It looked agonizingly painful. Valerie was pleading with her to stop in both Sindarin and the black speech, but Galadriel could not listen to her heart and leave the elleth alone. Valerie deserved to live a peaceful life with Glorfindel and her children. It was for them that she was doing this too.
Just when she was about to abandon, Valerie started to choke, eventually vomiting some black substance on the floor. She fell on the floor, unconscious, white as snow, looking like life had left her body.
Galadriel fell to her knees, calling her mate weakly.
Celeborn and Glorfindel had heard Valerie's screams of pain and her pleas in the black speech. All the elves near the talan had closed their eyes, trying to block their hearing, but not quite able to do so. It had looked like an epic battle, and the sudden silence worried them more than the earlier shouting. When Galadriel called her mate, they opened the door, only to find Valerie lying on the floor, unconscious, and Galadriel on her hands and knees beside a pool of a black substance.
Celeborn walked to his mate while Glorfindel knelt beside Valerie, trying to see if she was still alive.
"She is alive," Galadriel mumbled. "Celeborn, you must destroy this," she added, pointing the black liquid. Strangely, the substance was slowly traveling back in the direction of Valerie's body. Glorfindel pulled her away while Celeborn quickly took a candle on a table and put the liquid on fire. It burned quickly with a foul smell and black smoke, and soon, it was completely gone. The damage on the floor of the talan was substantial.
"Is the darkness gone from her?" Celeborn asked.
"I am afraid not, not completely."
"It did not work?" Glorfindel cried, watching his mate with worry. So much pain for nothing?
"I did not say that! I said the darkness is not gone completely. He wants her... he truly wants her terribly, and will not let her go without a fight."
"So this is hopeless?"
"I do not think so. I was able to lift most of the darkness. She may have regained some of her memories. I can try again, later, much later, but until Sauron is destroyed... he will be there, lingering in her fëa."
"Our mates need to rest," Celeborn told Glorfindel.
"Glorfindel?" Galadriel called before the captain could take his wife to their talan. "You must not... have another child with her unless Sauron is destroyed. He could... take the child for his own. Use his body."
The lord of the Golden Flower nodded in understanding.
OoOoO
Valerie woke with a start. Where was she? She looked around and recognized her talan in Lothlorien. The last memory she had was of herself with Lady Galadriel. The lady had put her hands on her head and then... pain. Anger as something was being pulled out of her. Darkness. And then, she had woken here.
She heard a movement in the room and turned around in the bed. It was Glorfindel, sitting on the floor in a corner of the room.
Memories invaded her mind. Her abduction. Her captivity. The orcs, the Nazguls, the Mouth. Her eyes, like an animal's... The Eye, Sauron's Eye above Barad-dur, watching her, wanting her. The black mist, the form Sauron had used to visit her... coming in her bed at night...
Glorfindel had saved her from that horrible destiny. He had come all the way from Imladris to catch her near Minas Morgul. Did he know how low she had fallen? She was vile. Loathsome. Revolting. She could not stay with elves, they were such pure beings. She deserved to die, like a filthy orc. Like Sauron.
She had to go. She jumped out of the bed and bolted out of the talan. She ran on the suspended bridges and down the stairs surrounding a huge trunk, trying to escape before she contaminated an elf with her vileness. She reached the ground and started running in the woods, going nowhere in particular, not even following a path. She tripped over a root and violently fell on her knees, almost knocking her head on a nearby tree.
She leaned her head on the tree and started to weep, her nails gripping the trunk painfully.
"No! No! No!" she cried, hitting her forehead on the tree. She felt warm liquid flow in front of her eyes. Somehow, she felt she deserved that pain. In fact, she deserved so much more pain than this. "Why?" she asked no one in particular. "Why did this have to happen to me?"
Standing in the trees above her, hidden by the leaves, her mate and her children were watching the heartbreaking scene. Glorfindel was perched higher than his children, and they could not see his expression. However, they knew he was greatly distressed. But how could they have expected anything different? some of them wondered. How could they have thought she would be her usual self, as if nothing had happened? She had spent 8 years in captivity in Mordor!
Gil-galad looked at Phoebe, pointing their naneth. Why me? she mouthed silently. Her brothers all nodded, as if Gil-galad's idea was brilliant.
Phoebe looked at her mother, still crying on the ground and hitting her head on that tree. What was she supposed to tell her? She slowly climbed down and walked silently to her mother. She did not even know if Valerie would recognize her, to what extent she had recovered her memories.
"Mom?" she whispered carefully, like she would have approached a wild animal.
Valerie stopped crying immediately and hid her face behind her hands. "Go away!"
Phoebe did not obey. She walked closer and sat nearby. "Do you know who I am?"
Valerie did not answer, but Phoebe took this as a yes. If she truly had had no idea who she was, her mother would have said so.
"I am so glad we found you," Phoebe said, finally letting her emotions surface. "I was so scared for you. What happened to you was..." Valerie murmured something that she did not quite hear. "I beg your pardon?"
"I am a monster!" Valerie yelled, and pushing Phoebe violently on her back, she jumped above her daughter and tried to run away. Phoebe fell but recovered so quickly that she had time to grab Valerie's ankle and pull her down. She then maintained her against the ground, sitting on her back.
"What happened to you was not your fault!" she insisted. "You were a victim of Sauron!"
"You have no idea what he did to me! What I let him do to me!"
"He could have turned you into an orc, and I still would be here, reasoning with you. You are my mother. I love you. All your children love you. And Glorfindel... he would have followed you into Mount Doom."
"I deserve to die. Why are you not killing me? Kill me!"
"You are wrong! You deserve to live. No one hates you. No one is disgusted by you. You are a victim of Sauron. We will keep loving you, whatever you do. Let us help you."
"If you love me, then let me go."
"Never."
"You are a stupid, stupid elleth! What is it that you do not understand?" Valerie asked, turning her head to glare at Phoebe, who only smiled.
"Your eyes!" she cried cheerfully. "They are back to normal! See? You will mend," she insisted. "Oh, I am so glad! Some of my brothers were so disturbed by your eyes! Especially Turgon and Gil-galad."
"Who?"
"Turgon and Gil-galad?" This time, it was Phoebe who was uncertain. Did her mother recover all her memories or not?
"Where is Adam?"
"Mommy, do you not remember? Adam is gone. He left us... 84 years ago." She let go of her hold, seeing Valerie was no longer struggling. In fact, she looked like she had been hit by the news of Adam's passing.
"I had hoped... my memories are very confused."
"I imagine. We will help you sort them out."
"You should let me leave."
"You are so stubborn! Stop saying that! We will not let you go. We are your family. Everywhere you will turn, we will be there, until you are completely recovered. You will not get rid of us. You may as well accept that."
"Glorfindel... I can no longer be his mate. I betrayed him."
"You let him be the judge of that. Now come, come with me. You need to rest."
Phoebe helped her mother to stand from the ground, guided her back to her talan and put her to bed with a strong sleeping draught. When she came out of the talan, all her brothers were there, with her father, all of them frowning with worry.
"Adar... she hates herself... She is disgusted by what happened to her! She blames herself, as if what happened to her was her fault!"
"She probably believes she could have fought more strongly against the darkness. But we know she could not have won against Sauron. What was done to her can be undone, but it will take a lot of patience. A lot of love," he replied, speaking to them all. "For decades, she was the sun in my darkness. The pillar of our family. I can return the favor. So can you."
They all nodded in agreement, yet many were wondering how long it would take...
A/N: the recovery can start, but it will not be easy… These 8 years have caused a tremendous amount of damage to Valerie.
Glassary: they searched for years in the mountains, they never thought she would actually be in Mordor. No one truly imagined that Sauron was looking for a mate once he got his body back…
princessnera: as you saw, it took 8 years. The times ahead of them will not be easy.
Starla: you will see the events from the Return of the King, she has been captive that long! Thank you for recommending my stories to your friends!
Maggie: I admit I wrote a few chapters of a potential Thranduil version, just to see if I get inspired. It may end up being more like ficlets of what would their lives would have been if the difficult Thranduil had been the one…
fihunt: Glorfindel could still feel their bond, he didn't fade but was far from healthy by the time they found Valerie. He will attempt strengthen their bond, but that will be more difficult than he thinks.
Alygator xandra: this was by far the most twisted plot of this story. The rest will not be as shocking, I promise!
PurpleXorchid: you can relax, she has been found, although the road ahead is not looking too pleasant at the moment. Too many years with orcs, the Nazguls, the Mouth and Sauron himself…
paperlanterns86: they probably rescued her right before it was too late. Galadriel barely could remove some of Sauron's presence in Valerie. A little longer and she would have been too far gone and could have been seen in Mordor by the fellowship as she fought with Sauron's forces! No one would have been too pleased with that and Valerie's life could have been in danger!