AN: And i felt like updating again - see, i said updating would improve once i'd finished writing this thing.
Chapter 29
Celebrian watched on silently as her husband ranted quietly over the news he was reading.
"What has happened?"
"The Witch King has invaded Arthedain again and he is flattening the lands. I fear for the descendants of Isuldur. I see the fading strength of my brother's people and I worry." He looked up as his wife kissed his forehead. "I fear for my people – if Arthedain falls then we are the next in line. I fear to send help and weaken our army but know that if I do not help the humans Angmar will simply grow stronger and we will have no chance against him as we have no allies left to fight with us."
"I understand your fears. I do not, however, know how to soothe them."
XXX
Arthedain fell in the battle known as the fall of Fornost and Arvedui fled across the Lune into Lindon with his people. In the retreat Arvedui died, taking two of the palantir with him, drowning in the icebay of Forochel.
In 1973 of the Third Age Arvedui had sent a message to Gondor asking for aid and in '75 it arrived in such numbers that they almost could not find harbourage for all the ships. Though they later found out that it was relatively small compared with the full force of Gondor, the huge number of men, as well as cavalry from Rhovanion was more than enough to make a serious improvement in prospects.
Upon arrival of this force, Cirdan summoned all the elves who would fight as well as the now homeless Dunadain and they began to consolidate their forces and prepare for the fight. In 1975 of the Third Age the Allied forces of Elves and men (as well as a small but lethal contingent of Hobbits from the shire) rode across the Lune to challenge the Witch King who now resided in Fornost.
In a move of utter arrogance, the Witch King rode out to meet them rather than stay within the fortress of Fornost. It was on the fields outside Fornost that he met the Allied Forces.
Even with all the forces the witchking could rally he could not stand against the force of Elves and Men and eventually, when he knew he was beaten, began to retreat to Angmar. In a moment of spectacular timing out of the north came the main body of the allied horsemen, successfully flanking the Witchking.
Simultaneously there was another nasty surprise for Angmar's forces.
One thing the dark forces did not know about was the dream visions and the cohesion formed by them. He now found out about the results at least in the form of the arrival of Lord Glorfindel of the house of the Golden Flower, Lord Seneshal of Imladris with his own force of elves.
The two cavalry contingents flattened the Army of Angmar.
The flattening was so thorough that there was no man or orc of Angmar left and only the witch king remained to flee back to the now depopulated realm of Angmar.
Even though he had lost thoroughly, the Witch King would not flee yet and fixed his attention on the human prince who led Gondor's force, a young man named Earnur. In what would normally have been a suicidal last attack, the Witch King rode at Earnur, intending to destroy the one who had destroyed it for him in bringing such forces against him.
Glorfindel could see, even from his still somewhat distant position, that Earnur meant to stand against the Witch King and thought the human could probably do it. Unfortunately, his horse was another matter however. Battle hardened stallion it may have been but the beast was terrified of the undead being riding at him.
Much to Earnur's chargrin the horse bolted for the hills, determined to get as far away from the Witch King as possible, taking Earnur with him. The Witch King watched on, grinning maliciously and then began to laugh loudly as the horse fled, knowing the sound would be humiliating to the young human prince.
Glorfindel charged him, glowing with the power of a Reborn Vanya of one of the highest Elfin Houses.
The sight of a battle enraged elf, born under the light of the two trees of Valinor to a house held as kin to Ingwë, the Valar blessed Lord of the Elves, and reborn after having fought of a Balrog, a beast in many ways more fearsome than the Witchking himself, and sent back to Arda with the blessings of the Valar to assist the descendants of Earendil (of which Earnur was one), charging him made the Witch king flee.
The entire field was nearly blinded by the glow of the twice born Elf Lord as he charged the Witchking and they fell into awe as Sauron's chief minion disappeared into the darkness of night, mid laugh.
A little while later Earnur returned and looked to try and find the one who had laughed at him as his horse had fled. Glorfindel, now only glowing lightly, turned to the young prince, feeling the touch of Irmö upon him.
"Do not pursue him! He will not return to this land. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall."*
XXX
Upon return to Imladris, Glorfindel somewhat retreated into himself. He had not shown himself as he truly was within Valinor in so long, it was a bit of a shock, especially in the name of defending some human's honour. He truly had no idea why he did it other than he knew it was related to the touch on his mind from the Valar of dreams.
Some days after returning, he was sitting in a garden of Imladris contemplating his own strange behaviour. After some time he sensed another presence in the garden with him and looked up. There was an elleth offering him a mug of hot liquid. Smiling he took the tea and absently examined her while feeling a flicker of amusement, remembering the story of Thranduil and Erywen's first meeting.
The elleth, he had no idea how old she was, was wearing the marks of mourning. He guessed she must have lost someone in the Battle of Fornost as that was the only thing that would have killed an elf recently, well, outside Mirkwood and she did not seem to be of Mirkwood stock.
He gestured at the elleth to sit beside him, realising she wished to talk to him when she did not immediately leave after giving him the drink.
"May I ask some questions of you my Lord, if they are not too impertinent?" Glorfindel blinked in surprise.
"I doubt you could say anything I would find impertinent, penneth, I am here to serve all within this realm though Elrond more personally than most." She smiled slightly at him.
"What happen at Fornost?" He looked sharply up at the girl. "I mean what actually happened, my father was there and his friends who came back won't tell me and my mother is beginning to fade and I just need to know and well..." Glorfindel nodded at her.
"I understand, more than most realise. And tell your mother fading really isn't worth it. Mandos's halls are, in their way, cathartic but it is much worse for her husband to come out to find his wife has faded and his children have suffered that double grief than to come out to a wife in Valinor who missed him but held on for the children and maybe if it was too hard sailed to the undying lands where there are many people who will help with her grief. Remind her that this is only temporary. She also will most likely never get to meet your father within the Halls of Mandos – it is exceptionally rare to meet your spouse there unless the bond of marriage has been broken." The elleth looked at him, somewhat startled, having clearly forgotten she was talking to the only elf in Arda with experience of being dead. He smiled sadly at her before sitting and explaining it detail, though without gore, what had happened to the forces of Imladris and then more generally about the war as she wished.
Once she had finished listening she rose and excused herself.
"My lady!" She turned back to him. "I hope everything comes out well for you and thank you."
She raised an eyebrow.
"What for?"
"You weren't the only one who needed that talk."
XXX
A few years later Lothlorien suffered its worst blow since the end of the previous age.
The realm, the closest to the Dwarven Mine of Moria felt a wave of evil rise up and as a response a large chunk of the Golden Wood' population fled to Valinor, fearing the evil.
It was not just the drop in population that represented a blow – it was who two of those elves were that caused the real problem. One was Nimrodel – not a great loss on her own but with her went Amroth who was too in love with her to think of the consequences upon his land.
The King of Lothlorien had promised that he would take her where there was no war and evil and they had too left for Valinor. By a tragedy of bad weather Amroth drowned as a storm pulled his ship loose and he had jumped into the sea so he would be there for his love when Nimrodel arrived. No-one heard exactly what happened to Nimrodel after she arrived at the Haven of Belfalas to find no ship and no Amroth but it was generally assumed she had died.
Lothlorien was left in somewhat of a political vacuum and the assorted elves of Lothlorien turned to Galadriel and Celeborn, a couple with royal blood and some previous experience of ruling. The pair took the role of ruling the land though they insisted on, like Elrond and their daughter, taking only the titles of Lord and Lady of the Golden wood, seeing themselves more as guardians of the golden wood than Monarchs.
Elrond and Celebrian, amongst others, barely managed to hide their amusement when sending the official letters of congratulations on their new role. The response they received, while officially put, had a distinct level of dry humour. It was particularly the smug way Celeborn pointed out that he held a rank equal to his son in law and to Thranduil that particularly amused aforementioned son in law.
