AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
By : mirkwood-elf-2931 & Thala


CHAPTER 24


"Landailyn?" Elrond asked softly, as he and she sat in armchairs before the fire, the twins instead deciding to stand, too anxious to sit still. The she-Elf had not said a word since their greeting. "What is it? You can tell us."

"Of course you can." Elrohir tried to soothe, as obviously the she-Elf was under great pain and pressure by the expressions she battled to keep hidden from their view, as she struggled with how to tell them the news she had come about.

Of course she could tell them; however, she so wished for anything else then to have to be the one to share this dreadful news that she knew would devastate the three before her. "I am afraid I bring ill news concerning you."

"Ill news?" Elladan repeated.

The twins had already pretty much figured this out, but to hear her say it was much different, causing slight distress to hang over each of them; even their father, who was starting to suspect it would be the worst news possible.

"Seventeen days into August," She finally began. "Uruk-hai broke into the White City; we are certain they came from Isengard. Five of us went out to fight, aiding Estel's troops. A quarter of an hour into the battle brought the arrival of eight Nazgul on Fell Beasts. I went to the White Tower to check on Arwen and the Hobbits, but before I could I enter I heard Legolas' voice. He had an arrow through his hand, so I took him inside the King's House and told him to wait there while I helped Thalawen and the others..." She shook her head remembering the look in his eyes. "But he told me...that I could not help Thalawen, for..." Landailyn looked up to the trio of resembling faces. She could see their countenances had changed to horror and alarm, as she reached the point of her news. "I am sorry, my lord, Thalawen was struck with two arrows and taken by the Nazgul...she is gone."

Elrond stared silently at her in full-fledged shock. His only other daughter was dead? His mind suddenly drifted to many different memories; mainly back to the argument he'd had with Thalawen over Arwen. How he had only ever wanted to keep his daughter safe, but never had he foreseen that his adopted would not be coming back to her family either, even when she had promised. But the one that she had kept was getting Arwen to her southern destination safely. It may have taken a little longer than expected, as the twins explained to him what had happened when they reached home again, but she still made it to the city in one piece and he thanked Thalawen for it now.

The twins pulled their father into a long tight hug.

Letting them have this moment to themselves, Landailyn put a hand over her eyes. As difficult as this had been, it was done; she had told them her news. Her attention returned to the present; finding the twins coming her way, she stood to embrace them. It broke her heart to see their faces so filled with emotions and yet they did not let them out or cry in front of her. Knowing how she felt and just imagining how all three of them must feel right now, at the moment she couldn't even think of anything to do or say that might help with their pain. Elrond had taken over Thalthan's duty as a father, he had loved Thalawen as his own and the twins had grown up with her, she had been their only older sibling. As long as they could remember she had always been a skilled warrior and they had always looked up to her, as in ways she was just like them.

Trying at least to keep her voice under control, Landailyn spoke a few moments later, after being reseated. "I also wish to ask, if it is all right that I take Ezril back to Rohan."

Elrond eventually looked up, appearing strangely weary, as if he were starting to feel his many years catching up with him. Grief overtook his usual alert and mostly carefree self. "Yes, I think it would be best for him."

Agreeing, she added. "My lord, I am so sorry, if there is anything I can do, anything at all..."

The much older, darker haired Elf raised his hand slightly to stop her. "Thank you, but I'm just glad to hear this from someone close to us; rather than reading it in a letter."

She nodded slowly. A few days before she left Gondor, she had sought out Aragorn, showed him Thalawen's journal, and discussed her plans, which he much agreed to and did not send word north as he had prepared. Her decisions had been made well.

"What about everyone else?" Asked Elrohir eagerly through unshed tears. "They're all right...right?"

"I promise that when I left they were all fine. I only stayed a fortnight after the attack and it has taken me only a month to get here." Perhaps by definition they weren't 'fine', at least emotionally, but those listening knew what she meant and it was a great relief. "Which brings me to ask of a favor, my lord. If you could please possibly send word to Estel that I have made it here safely and will be returning Ezril to Rohan soon and from there I will head for Mirkwood."

"Of course; have no worry over it."

In return she nodded a thank you, before looking over at the scenery displayed through an arched window, knowing there were still a few hours of daylight left. She rose again from her seat near the hearth. "If you will excuse me then, I really must go see Ezril so that he is use to me again and set out before it's..."

"Set out? But you've only just arrived!" Exclaimed Elladan, halting where he was from pacing the room, trying to swallow the lump that kept trying to form in his throat. "You've been traveling for four straight weeks! At least spend the night to eat a good meal and rest in a comfortable bed."

She smiled sadly and looked down at Elrond, who only held up his dark brows, much in the same way his sons had when she arrived, as though asking of her the same as his eldest. "I fear I might get used to it again and never want to leave, but alright."

The simple statement made the three males laugh lightheartedly, despite the great amount of grief they were keeping inside for the present moment.


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This night was not any different from the last few, where Landailyn had found she could not sleep. Especially, now after reaching this first destination.

Sighing, she sat up from her guest bed. Perhaps a walk would help, she thought, even though it hadn't on the travel here. For when she could not rest, she would walk cautiously throughout the night, giving her the haste she told the prince she would make.

Eyeing her leather supply bag on the floor, she dug deep down to its bottom, lifting out a thick rectangular object.

Satisfied, she set out for a quiet tour of the House, feeling as though she were a child sneaking about while her parents slept, when it was passed her bedtime and she was not to be up.

This touring eventually led her to stand halfway down a staircase, where at the bottom, flames of candles flickered in a large room, indicating that someone was still up. Finding the Elven lord still awake was not so surprising with the grieving news she had delivered upon his family.

"Lord Elrond?"

Whether he'd known she was there or not, Landailyn could not have told, as she was mostly concealed by the low slanting ceiling and the walls on either side of the stairs, but Elrond slowly raised his head from its place in his hands. He smiled her way, defying the sodden mood she could tell he was in, and gestured a hand toward the chairs in front of his desk. "It's alright, young captain. Come,"

Landailyn took the last few steps down into the dim study.

"I was just finishing writing to Estel before bed."

"Oh, many thanks." She said seating herself.

"I would have thought you in bed yourself by now, if you are to set out later today. What keeps you?"

"I wished to talk with you...about Arwen." She replied, leaving out the part that she had been in bed, but she just couldn't sleep now, not with the 'problems' she had running and endless course through her mind.

Across her, the elder Elf's stare turned to concern, so she hurried with her explanation so as not to alarm him, which was the last intention she'd had in mind. "As you would know she took her sister's passing very hard...we all still are...and a few days before I left, she spoke to me of a dream in which Thalawen came to her in spirit form." She looked up to find Elrond nodding, apparently considering what she was telling him to be something of the truth. "Lord Elrond, do you know if that is possible...?"

He continued to nod. "Never have I experienced it in my lifetime, but I cannot say I have not heard of others experiencing the same as what Arwen shared with you. It has to do with a deep connection someone has with another. And my daughters always seemed to have had just that."

Understanding, she nodded slightly and glanced down. "I also...came to give you this." She took a silent deep breath and held out the journal over the desktop. Not truly expecting him to still be up, she had planned to leave it somewhere for him to find. Its contents would explain to him what really happened to Thalawen; that she had foreseen her death and saved the Prince of Mirkwood from that horrible fate.

He took it carefully, not recognizing it and looking to her for an answer of what exactly it was.

"It was Thalawen's. I found it in her room that night...after the battle. She wrote in it that she wished Arwen would never see it, but I showed it to Estel; we both agreed that you should keep it."

He smiled softly, placing the book where it would be safe to later look at in private. "Thank you." The High-Elf waited a moment, watching her, his smile changing to one of slight amusement.

She had acknowledged his thank you, but had said nothing; rather she was staring off at the west windows into the night beyond them.

"Landailyn,"

She looked over abruptly, her head jerking to face him.

"Do not think no one has not noticed you appear somewhat burdened or troubled. You become easily distracted, as you did just now and I can tell you have been this way for a while. Truly, what is it?"

With this statement she realized how much Arwen was like her father, or at least how much she could sound like him when lecturing or advising. "Forgive me.  I promise, it is nothing, my lord, nothing I cannot handle with a little time."

He scrutinized her a bit longer, trusting that her troubled demeanor was 'nothing' one should talk out, he nodded once and rose from his desk. "If you should change your mind, come to see me over it at any time."

"Thank you. Sleep well, my lord."

"And you, Landailyn." Elrond's soft words floated back to her, as he disappeared from the candle lit room.


TBC ...

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mirkwood-elf-2931 :
Thank you, Jamie, Maya and Lyn, I had a great time in Oklahoma and I might be going again a few days after Christmas! And then Beth will come back with me to my house for New Years! And I do hope that cold of yours gets better, Jamie! I had a really bad one last year just right after Christmas and it got so annoying cuz' I would have a coughing fit like every five minutes and lucky me it lasted until like the middle of January! OMG Marcede, you were vacationing in the Caribbean?! How awesome!!! I wanna go there so bad!
Well anyway, there aren't many chapters left to this story! And bloody hell, we got more snow! Like about 4 more inches on top of about 3 inches that didn't melt from the other day and we're suppose to get more tonight! Ugh! LOL Hope it doesn't get so bad I can't get out to go see Return of the King! :( Oh, and if anyone wants to see it and doesn't know about it yet, Elijah Wood is hosting Saturday Night Live tonight! I missed him on Jay Leno the other night, but Thala saw it and told me what he talked about! It was hilarious!