The Life & Times of Greenwood the Great

Part II: Shadows Rise

The Memory of Man

c.1620 SA- Greenwood the Great

Thranduil, having decided on a course of action, told the trees to drive them deep into the forest. Then he joined them, but when he finally caught up to them, he did not appear as he normally would. He stayed in the shadows, hoping to keep his identity confused.

"Who are you? And why are you here?" He asked them.

They all jumped. By now their nerves were fried, and it would not take much to frighten or anger them. "Where are you?"

"None of your concern." Thranduil hissed. "Answer the questions."

"We are mercenaries." One of them answered. "We just need to go east. Please, could you point us in the right direction?"

"No." He answered, still in the shadows. "I know who you plan to work for."

"What was the point of-?"

"Silence." He hissed. After a pause he continued, "I wanted to see if you would lie to me."

"What do you want?" The leader snarled.

"I want you out of the forest." Thranduil answered honestly.

"Then point us east!"

"I also want you to go west, and give up the notion of working for this man."

"Impossible!" The man said. "It's just a job."

"Fine then." Thranduil said. "Stay in the forest. It is your doom either way."

"I refuse to listen to someone hiding from us!" The mercenary said.

"Oh yes? I shall leave then."

"Wait." The leader said. Thranduil obliged, but remained silent. "What have you against this man?"

"He is working for an evil master in the south. Where the smoke rises."

"Mordor?"

"If that is its name." Thranduil said.

"What do you have against Mordor?"

"It breathes evil."

The man laughed. "Smoke is not evil. You must be a superstitious person. Tell me, have you seen any elves running around these woods?"

Thranduil pursed his lips. "Smoke is not evil. But the one who feeds the smoke is. If you work for him, you will be the ones to suffer in the end."

"So says the forest sprite." The man laughed. "Come on men, we must find our way east. We have a job to do. A job that pays well mind you." He said nodding to Thranduil.

"So be it." Thranduil hissed.

The leader dismissed him, turning into the forest with a shrug. The rest of the men eyed him nervously, but he said nothing to them, only disappeared into the trees. He waited until night fell, when the men camped. He and Daugion were crouched on a tree above them. "Don't kill them. They aren't completely evil." Thranduil said.

Daugion frowned. "Sure."

"Well they will not remember what they needed to do anyway." Thranduil shrugged before the trees veiled the light of the stars completely. The men barely glanced up, they had stopped caring when the forest shifted. Thranduil waited until all but a few guards had fallen asleep and he nodded to Daugion who jumped down and took out the guards silently, leaving them unconscious on the forest floor. Then Thranduil jumped down himself and kicked out the fire. The leader woke, who had been sleeping next to the fire.

"What in the-?" He never got the chance to finish as Thranduil grabbed him by the throat.

"I warned you." Thranduil hissed.

"What are you going to do now?" The man asked.

Thranduil smiled, though the man could not see it. "You won't remember." Thranduil said and then knocked him out. After all the men were knocked out, the elves from the patrol tracking them dropped down and they all carried the men to the south and put them on the bank of the Anduin.

"You are sure they will not remember?" Daugion asked Thranduil.

"Nothing of the past few months." Thranduil said cocking his head. "I may not have learned much, but I did learn something at Melian's hand. Mortal minds are easy to confuse. Leave two to stay behind and watch until someone picks them up. Everyone else can go home."

The leader of the patrol nodded and singled out two elves. The rest of them returned north.

"What about who they were going to work for?" Daugion asked him while they traveled.

"He'll die of a mysterious illness soon enough." Thranduil said quietly. Daugion glanced at him.

"You poisoned him?"

"No." Thranduil answered, and then he smiled slightly. "He got an infection when a raven attacked him. Unfortunately the villagers where he is have no idea how to treat the infection."

Daugion glanced at the ravens following them. "Did you tell them to do that?"

"Actually I didn't." Thranduil said, sounding somewhat amused. "They came up with that on their own."

"I am glad then that they are on our side." Daugion said as he looked up warily as a raven cawed.

"You may thank me later." Thranduil said smiling.

Meanwhile, the men on the riverbank were just now waking. The leader stirred frowning as he massaged his head. They all looked to be in various stages of confusion as they woke. "I had the most pleasant dream about elves." The one who had spoken about them earlier in the week said quite dreamily. "I think I'll go back to sleep."

"Where in Middle-Earth are we?" The leader grumbled as he looked around.

"I think this is the Anduin."

"Why are we here?"

"What's going on?"

"Is there any food?"

"Are you sure?"

"Is there any brandy left?"

"I got some ale."

"How did we get here?"

"When did we fall asleep?"

"When did we even get here?"

"Is this a dream?"

"Shut up!" The leader yelled. "Let me think."

No matter how hard any of them thought, however, none of them could come up with a viable reason for them being on the banks of the Anduin. A few days passed on the riverbank while they tried to figure it out, and they had finally discerned that they were on the Greenwood side, staring at Lórien.

"Should we ask the elves for help?"

"No!" The leader hissed.

"They'll find us soon enough."

"Shut it!"

Sure enough, however, the elves of Lórien had spotted them the morning they had woken up, but had been hesitant to do anything. When the men never left, they eventually built a raft and came to the them. "What are you doing there?"

"We don't know." The leader admitted unhappily.

The elves were just as wary. They had not seen the elves place them on the bank of the river, they had just seen them there the next morning. "You are on the borders of two nations. Speak!"

"Two?" The leader asked.

The elf hesitated. "Yes. You have passed though Greenwood."

"There's still people in Greenwood?" The leader asked.

The elf decided it helped his point. "Yes."

"Whatever you say. We are not lying. We have no idea why we're here."

The elves debated the matter among themselves. Eventually they decided to take the men back to Amdír. Maybe he could see through whatever story they were trying to sell.

The pirates found the General pale and sickly on a bed in one of the villager's homes. "What happened?" They asked.

"Don't know." General said. "One day I felt fine and the next this stupid cut made my whole face swell."

"Not with you." They hissed. "Where's your men?"

The General grunted. "I don't know that either. They were supposed to come through Greenwood but they never showed up. Probably died." He admitted.

The pirates spoke among themselves. "Shame." They said without sounding like they cared too much. "Put him out of his misery." One of the pirates turned back to him and he panicked. He was too weak however, and the pirates were soon heading back south.

Celeborn and Amdír both eyed the men suspiciously. "They say they have no memory of anything since early spring."

"Early spring?" Celeborn questioned. It was Midsummer now. "Did they have any weapons on them?"

"Nothing but sword belts that looked like they might have one carried weapons." The soldiers had been quite confused about that one themselves. In truth, Daugion had spotted the metal weapons and had eyed Thranduil who had conceded the point before they stripped them of all their weapons and kept them to be melted down and turned into other weapons.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Anything else?"

"Just a few unimportant documents." The elf said. Celeborn frowned and considered the matter. Beside him the King looked just as confused.

"Let's inform Gil-galad." Celeborn finally said. "There's something about this that bothers me. I want to know what it is."

"Very well." The Sindar king sighed and then motioned to the guards. "You all must stay here but you will be given guest rooms."

The men could not argue, they were too confused about what had happened themselves.

The pirates informed their employer who frowned. "Unfortunate but we can live with it. Sauron's armies have grown massive. I will inform him but like as not he will not care."

Gil-galad arrived in Lórien with Galadriel, who were both curious as to the proceedings. They too inspected the men and Galadriel found something curious. "Their minds have been altered."

"I thought that was obvious." Gil-galad said. "If they cannot remember such a large space of time."

"Yes, but it's something I could do." Galadriel said looking at Gil-galad. "Something Melian taught me."

"Can you undo it?"

"I am not sure I should." Galadriel said.

"If you do we could find the truth of the matter." Gil-galad pointed out.

Galadriel frowned. "But if I do and find their purpose, they will remember it as well, and if it was harmful they may fulfill it."

"Then we keep them under guard. You only have to pry one of them."

Galadriel looked unhappy but slowly nodded. "Very well, bring me the leader. Keep the rest away from him. We will do this alone."

A few minutes later the leader appeared before her. Slowly she touched his cheek and probed the memory block. It was not long before she removed it, and the memories crashed upon both of them. Galadriel felt it with far more ease than the leader did, for he trembled and fell to his knees. Galadriel inspected the memories carefully and then looked troubled.

Gil-galad cocked his head. He motioned for Celeborn to keep the man here and under strong guard. "Do not let him escape."

Then he and Galadriel stepped to the side. "Who was it?"

"Thranduil." Galadriel said. "Or so I suspect. He is the only one trained by Melian in Greenwood."

"You do not know for sure."

"No. The men are mercenaries, about to work for someone in the south."

"Sauron?"

"Possibly." Galadriel said. "They thought traveling through Greenwood would cut their journey in half."

"It would." Gil-galad agreed.

"But part of the way through their journey, the path was no longer discernible. They could not find their way without being hindered. The trees blocked the sun, so that finding a direction wasn't possible. At the end, someone spoke to them, but they stayed hidden and disguised their voice. They were angry that they were in the forest, and angrier that they seemed to be working for Sauron- however indirectly."

"Sounds like Thranduil."

"As I thought. Then that night the whole camp was dark. The leader was grabbed by someone, presumably the same person. They said they had been warned. The leader was incredulous of course."

"Of course." Gil-galad said softly.

"He asked what the man was going to do about it."

"What did he respond?"

"You won't remember."

Gil-galad inhaled a sharp breath. "Then they woke on the riverbank?"

"Yes."

He turned and stared in Greenwood's direction. "What are you playing at?" Without removing his gaze he again addressed Galadriel. "Can you determine the whereabouts of the wood-elves from his memories?"

"No, they were completely lost in the middle of the forest. They entered just above the mountains and exited at the Anduin."

"So it could be anywhere in between." Gil-galad murmured.

"Or further than that." Galadriel agreed.

Gil-galad stared in Greenwood's direction. "I should go to them."

"Thranduil might drive you out as well."

"We might need their help." Gil-galad said sighing. "We do not know what will happen in this war."

"And you think after he felt abandoned that he will help you?" Galadriel asked.

"I will send Elrond then."

"He drove Elrond off last time."

"That was before Annatar-." Gil-galad broke off and sighed. "It's a chance we should take."

"Maybe, maybe not." Galadriel said sighing. "I feel, however, that it is not yet time."

"So be it then. We will wait." Gil-galad said before turning on his heel and walking back to the platform the man waited on. "For now, we have to deal with this one." Above them Amroth was frowning.

"Lórien took them." The elves reported back to Thranduil.

"How interesting." Thranduil said to himself. Ortherion glanced at him.

"Galadriel could undo your spell."

"Then she will discover the truth for herself. There is nothing that leads her to us directly in their memory." Thranduil said. "Beyond the fact that I haven't died she will know nothing."

Ortherion considered it and then nodded. "True. You are both dismissed." He said to the elves who bowed and left. "It could make them come here."

"Well then we might actually get allies once more." Thranduil said. "I said I would meet with them if they came here seeking me."

"And after meeting with them?"

"It would depend on what they had to say." Thranduil said. "For now we rely on being hidden. Until we know better we cannot risk being alone against Sauron if he discovers our exact location. Fighting him within the forest is one thing. Fighting him here is another."

c.1693- Eregion

The following years had passed in a tense blur, and now the world started shaking with the thunder of troops spreading across Ennor. Celebrimbor eyed the Three on his fingers as he could feel that very soon Sauron would come for him. He glanced out the window and sighed. "I cannot risk him finding these." He said to himself and then cloaked himself, galloping off into the night as silent as the dead.

He approached Lindon and waited to slip into the palace until it was dark, so that none would see or hear him come or go. He slipped in and found Gil-galad standing in his quarters, arms crossed high on his chest and looking contemplative.

Celebrimbor cleared his throat to announce his presence. Gil-galad spun on his heel, hand going to his belt immediately, but he paused when he saw the shadowed figure standing behind him. "Who are you?"

Celebrimbor took a step forward and pulled down his hood. Gil-galad's breath caught and he relaxed his posture slightly. "Mae govannen." Celebrimbor said, though the words felt lame.

Gil-galad cocked his head before returning his greetings. "Why come here?" He asked.

Celebrimbor glanced out the window before he answered. "He is coming after me."

"Sauron?"

"Yes."

"You know this?"

"He does not want me to survive. Not when I know arts that could make our power match his." Celebrimbor said. "But that is the reason."

"So why come here?"

Celebrimbor stepped closer. "He will try to take over the world."

"Yes, yes. We know this. We let him do it." Gil-galad sighed. "Could you not see it coming?"

"I wondered when he left Eregion, but thought nothing of it. We were too busy." Celebrimbor said, feeling the guilt well up in him again. "That is not the only reason I came."

Gil-galad looked suspicious but curious at the same time. "Then why?"

"He never touched these, not once." Celebrimbor said quietly, and he withdrew a small wooden box from his robes. Gil-galad's eyes widened as he opened the box and there sat two beautiful rings.

"The Rings you made?"

"Yes."

"Why bring them here?"

"I already took Nenya to Galadriel, and she told me to bring them to you." Celebrimbor said. "I have no wish for Sauron to find these, and as he said he is coming for me."

Gil-Galad's eyes inspected him. "You should flee."

Celebrimbor drew back. "I may have been deceived, but have no doubt that I will not let him take everything from me without a fight. I am not reckless enough to risk him finding these, but I will be damned before I let him run over me without biting back."

"And if you die?"

"So be it. Tis why I am giving these to you." He said closing the box and pressing it into Gil-galad's hands.

"What do I do with them?" Gil-galad asked.

Celebrimbor looked amused. "Wear them."

"Wear them?"

"Why not?" Celebrimbor asked. "Galadriel wears hers."

"What would happen if I do?"

"You will feel the raw force of nature like most have not. But they are made for preserving beauty and healing, not destruction. They are not weapons."

Gil-galad looked hesitant and he opened the box again. "What are they?"

"Narya and Vilya."

"Fire and Air." Gil-galad mused. "You named them after the fate of your grandfather's jewels."

"Yes." Celebrimbor answered. He saw the hesitance in his eyes. "You will be able to vaguely sense the other Rings unless you direct your mind toward them and you would then be able to see them clearer. I would not recommend doing so, unless you would like Sauron to sense you. Other than that, your own instinct will guide you."

"I do not have the power to wield these." Gil-galad said shaking his head.

"Yes you do. You are the High-King for a reason." Celebrimbor insisted.

"Because the others died." Gil-galad muttered as he slowly held up Narya and inspected it closer.

"You will be fine." Celebrimbor said and then backed away. "I have to return, only one knows I have left."

"What will you do?"

"Return, and fight him when I must." Celebrimbor said.

Gil-galad said nothing, merely watched grimly as Celebrimbor slipped back out into the night. Gil-galad sighed, looking down at the box in his hands. This probably would not end well.

A/N: So not as much Greenwood this chapter, but I had to set up the coming part. There will be plenty of Greenwood coming. Sorry this one took so long. Enjoy!