"Are you sure?" Glorfindel asked, shaking his blond head in disbelief at the story he just heard. "Are you absolutely sure that it's Eldariel?"
"We didn't want to believe it either, Glor. Yet there she was." Elladan said, watching the pacing elf closely.
"I don't want to get your father's hopes up if she isn't, boys. His heart was broken when we found her dress covered in blood."
"We know. We were there, remember." The twins half shouted.
Lindir, who had been lazing on Glorfindel's bed looking at a scroll, stretched languidly and slid to a sitting position on the floor, pulling the comforter and half the sheets with him. "Describe her."
"Lin, why do you do that?" the blond elf lord glowered at him, fastidiously righting the bed linens.
"To annoy you, mellon-nîn." The dark-haired elf laughed. "Describe her."
"It was obvious that she was an elf, for one thing." Legolas said, not truly understanding why the twins and Lord Glorfindel were so upset. "In fact, I would say she looked a lot like Arwen."
The twins nodded their agreement. "We're going to help her, right? We're going to bring her home?"
"It's not that easy, young ones." Glorfindel sighed. "She has been a captive since she was a child. She may well not remember her life before."
"But it is a chance we must take, my lord." Legolas said with conviction. "Whether she is your sister or not, she must not be allowed to remain a slave."
"Legolas is right. No elf should have to endure the cruelty of slavery." Aragorn agreed.
* * *
It was well past midnight and Elrond sat alone in his study. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth. On his lap, lay an open book, yet the elf lord was not paying attention to the pages. He was lost in thought. His mind taking him back a thousand years to a time when this was a season of joy for him. He loved the Yule festival, but it always brought with it the painful memories of losing his youngest child. She had been so young. A light and lively creature, nothing like Celebrian or Arwen. She had been day to their night. So young. She had been out playing in the snow with her brothers and sister when they had been attacked. Only the twins and Arwen had made it back to the house.
"Ada?" a voice called from the doorway.
Elrond looked up to see Arwen standing there. Hastily he brushed away the tears that were threatening to fall and motioned for her to join him.
"You have not slept much these last few days." she said quietly as she curled up at his feet, resting her chin on his knee.
"No, iel, I have not. 'Tis memories that haunt my thoughts of late."
"Eldariel?"
"Aye, hên. And sleep does not come." The elf lord sighed. "A thousand years have passed and still the pain of her loss is as intense as it was the day we found her bloodstained clothing."
"I wish I could take that pain from you, Ada." Arwen took one of her father's hands in her own, stroking it lightly. She loved the roughness of her father's hands, the hands of a healer and a warrior. It was the warrior who sat here berating himself for not being able to protect the youngest member of his family.
"What could I have done differently, Arwen? How could I have made sure that all of you came back safely?"
He had ridden the borders for three days in hope that he would find her. It was on the morning of the third day that he, the twins, Lindir and Glorfindel had found her little dress and cloak shredded and covered in blood. Beside it lay her favorite doll. The snow, too, was saturated with blood. He had collapsed right there, his grief so great that Glorfindel had to ride with him just to keep him ahorse.
"There was nothing you could have done, Ada." She answered reassuringly, "We have always thought our borders safe. That day was no different. How those men got through our patrols, we'll never know. But nothing you did or didn't do would change what happened."
"She was so young, Arwen. She was still a child. Barely out of your mother's arms."
Arwen smiled. "Go to bed, Ada." She admonished gently, "Brooding about it won't bring her back."
Elrond sighed resignedly, "You are right, my Arwen. I should be thankful that I still have you and your brothers."
"Good night, Ada," she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek as she rose from her seat on the floor.
"Goodnight, iel.
* * *
Morion paced the length of the great hall. He was growing tired of the firstborn's clumsiness. He also hated how she never cried or pleaded with him when she was beaten. It infuriated him the way she just stared off into oblivion when she was given a lashing.
"Are you serious about selling her, m' lord?"
"Yes."
"There is a man in town, asking around about house slaves." The servant said hesitantly. "He's offering four large rubies and four sacks of gold to anyone who can supply him with a she-elf."
Morion tapped his lip thoughtfully. It was a tempting offer, yet should he really part with a family heirloom. However the amount of slaves he could purchase with the promised sum was staggering.
"Bring me the elf!" he commanded another servant.
"You will sell, my lord?"
"As long as this man is feeling generous, why should I not take advantage of it. Besides, she's not worth a quarter of what he's offering."
Eldariel scuttled silently into the chamber, hoping to avoid her master's eye. She wondered why she had been sent for, but really didn't want to find out. Morion could be excessively cruel when he wanted to be and she wanted to be as far away as possible if he was like that today.
"Ah," he exclaimed, grinning ferally as his eyes lit upon her like a hunting hawk on a mouse. "Lómion, take her into Carnemírië and bring me the promised price. If you can get the fool to pay you more than he is offering, so much the better. If she gives you any trouble feel free to discipline her harshly."
"Very good, m' lord." The servant answered, leering at the helpless she-elf as he bowed before his master.
"Oh, and Lómion, you will be handsomely rewarded upon your return."
"Thank you, m' lord."
Author's Note: Sorry that it has taken so long to update this story, but life happens. Also too many ideas and not enough time to write it all down. Any way, I'm hoping to have the last chapter up before Christmas but 'tis the season for going crazy. Have a Happy Holiday and fulfill my Christmas wish by reviewing. LOL!
"We didn't want to believe it either, Glor. Yet there she was." Elladan said, watching the pacing elf closely.
"I don't want to get your father's hopes up if she isn't, boys. His heart was broken when we found her dress covered in blood."
"We know. We were there, remember." The twins half shouted.
Lindir, who had been lazing on Glorfindel's bed looking at a scroll, stretched languidly and slid to a sitting position on the floor, pulling the comforter and half the sheets with him. "Describe her."
"Lin, why do you do that?" the blond elf lord glowered at him, fastidiously righting the bed linens.
"To annoy you, mellon-nîn." The dark-haired elf laughed. "Describe her."
"It was obvious that she was an elf, for one thing." Legolas said, not truly understanding why the twins and Lord Glorfindel were so upset. "In fact, I would say she looked a lot like Arwen."
The twins nodded their agreement. "We're going to help her, right? We're going to bring her home?"
"It's not that easy, young ones." Glorfindel sighed. "She has been a captive since she was a child. She may well not remember her life before."
"But it is a chance we must take, my lord." Legolas said with conviction. "Whether she is your sister or not, she must not be allowed to remain a slave."
"Legolas is right. No elf should have to endure the cruelty of slavery." Aragorn agreed.
* * *
It was well past midnight and Elrond sat alone in his study. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth. On his lap, lay an open book, yet the elf lord was not paying attention to the pages. He was lost in thought. His mind taking him back a thousand years to a time when this was a season of joy for him. He loved the Yule festival, but it always brought with it the painful memories of losing his youngest child. She had been so young. A light and lively creature, nothing like Celebrian or Arwen. She had been day to their night. So young. She had been out playing in the snow with her brothers and sister when they had been attacked. Only the twins and Arwen had made it back to the house.
"Ada?" a voice called from the doorway.
Elrond looked up to see Arwen standing there. Hastily he brushed away the tears that were threatening to fall and motioned for her to join him.
"You have not slept much these last few days." she said quietly as she curled up at his feet, resting her chin on his knee.
"No, iel, I have not. 'Tis memories that haunt my thoughts of late."
"Eldariel?"
"Aye, hên. And sleep does not come." The elf lord sighed. "A thousand years have passed and still the pain of her loss is as intense as it was the day we found her bloodstained clothing."
"I wish I could take that pain from you, Ada." Arwen took one of her father's hands in her own, stroking it lightly. She loved the roughness of her father's hands, the hands of a healer and a warrior. It was the warrior who sat here berating himself for not being able to protect the youngest member of his family.
"What could I have done differently, Arwen? How could I have made sure that all of you came back safely?"
He had ridden the borders for three days in hope that he would find her. It was on the morning of the third day that he, the twins, Lindir and Glorfindel had found her little dress and cloak shredded and covered in blood. Beside it lay her favorite doll. The snow, too, was saturated with blood. He had collapsed right there, his grief so great that Glorfindel had to ride with him just to keep him ahorse.
"There was nothing you could have done, Ada." She answered reassuringly, "We have always thought our borders safe. That day was no different. How those men got through our patrols, we'll never know. But nothing you did or didn't do would change what happened."
"She was so young, Arwen. She was still a child. Barely out of your mother's arms."
Arwen smiled. "Go to bed, Ada." She admonished gently, "Brooding about it won't bring her back."
Elrond sighed resignedly, "You are right, my Arwen. I should be thankful that I still have you and your brothers."
"Good night, Ada," she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek as she rose from her seat on the floor.
"Goodnight, iel.
* * *
Morion paced the length of the great hall. He was growing tired of the firstborn's clumsiness. He also hated how she never cried or pleaded with him when she was beaten. It infuriated him the way she just stared off into oblivion when she was given a lashing.
"Are you serious about selling her, m' lord?"
"Yes."
"There is a man in town, asking around about house slaves." The servant said hesitantly. "He's offering four large rubies and four sacks of gold to anyone who can supply him with a she-elf."
Morion tapped his lip thoughtfully. It was a tempting offer, yet should he really part with a family heirloom. However the amount of slaves he could purchase with the promised sum was staggering.
"Bring me the elf!" he commanded another servant.
"You will sell, my lord?"
"As long as this man is feeling generous, why should I not take advantage of it. Besides, she's not worth a quarter of what he's offering."
Eldariel scuttled silently into the chamber, hoping to avoid her master's eye. She wondered why she had been sent for, but really didn't want to find out. Morion could be excessively cruel when he wanted to be and she wanted to be as far away as possible if he was like that today.
"Ah," he exclaimed, grinning ferally as his eyes lit upon her like a hunting hawk on a mouse. "Lómion, take her into Carnemírië and bring me the promised price. If you can get the fool to pay you more than he is offering, so much the better. If she gives you any trouble feel free to discipline her harshly."
"Very good, m' lord." The servant answered, leering at the helpless she-elf as he bowed before his master.
"Oh, and Lómion, you will be handsomely rewarded upon your return."
"Thank you, m' lord."
Author's Note: Sorry that it has taken so long to update this story, but life happens. Also too many ideas and not enough time to write it all down. Any way, I'm hoping to have the last chapter up before Christmas but 'tis the season for going crazy. Have a Happy Holiday and fulfill my Christmas wish by reviewing. LOL!