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


CHAPTER 25


Landailyn's troubles indeed needed to be talked out with someone, but this time Lord Elrond was not that particular person. For someone even as wise as he, he was not the advisor her heart's condition sought.

Making sure he was out of sight, she strode outside. Earlier, she had asked the elder of the twins of the location of Thalawen's house and if she were to be leaving soon she wanted to visit it before that time came.

It was a lovely night, as it always was in this particular valley. The full silver moon glistened below on the River Bruinen reflecting on the leaves of the trees along its banks. And the waterfalls quietly roared in the not so far distance.

The solitary Elf stopped to glance eastward, where light had caught her eye. On the stone bridge across the river, swinging amber orbs moved slowly over it's arched shape, heading out of the city. She soon figured out what they were; lanterns carried by the Elves leaving this night for the Grey Havens. There were so little left as it was, she thought, continuing on westward with a mournful expression.

She knew not exactly when her leaving of Middle-earth would be, but she had a feeling it would be painfully long enough to see all of her friends pass on, save one. Legolas was now the only one going with her, as she had recently learned the twins were staying as Arwen was.

Arriving at the house, she knew there would be no one to greet her. Thalawen had lived alone for the past two millennia and the only noise were the brown leaves littering the floor crunching beneath her leather boots, for here she didn't bother to silence her footsteps.

She looked around the ground floor. It was large in size, but when it came to its contents, there wasn't much to behold.

There was little furniture, only a few chairs and tables, one couch and here and there stood tall wood carved candelabras and an occasional shelving built into the wall, always filled to capacity with books and scrolls. Though there was one certain object to immediately capture her interest. Near the rear of the house, a tall easel stood alone in front of a single window. The canvas held only a half painted picture of the sun shining brilliantly through the trees. The same trees that grew not ten feet away outside, if one looked up at the wide window in the daytime.

Eventually, she took one step at a time up a remotely curved staircase to the second level.

On the narrow hall landing at the top, she stared ahead at a row of doors. The spaces between them seemed to be filled with a collection of various types of weapons, from Orc scimitars and black bows, to Dwarvish axes and swords of Men. But where two more weapons should have been near the second door within the hall, they were missing. Sadly she could only guess it was where Thalawen hung her bow and Carafang when not in use and now those places would forever be bare.

Walking easily passed the first room; something seemed to draw her to go inside this second one.

The atmosphere inside felt auspicious and benign, welcoming and warm.

Against the moonlight, the pillars of open arched windows cast wide shadows on the floor and the solid wall across them. A bed, enough in width to hold two people sat to the left of the off centered doorway. A small table stood to the right of the headboard; on it a half burned a candle and a book beside it.

She walked toward the bed, her eyes wondering over the sight of a dark colored object sticking out from under a pillow. Sliding it out, Landailyn smiled, as she discovered it was a small silver bladed dagger with a bronze hilt.

This had definitely been Thalawen's bedroom.

On the solid north wall, hung a small portrait of an elderly female Elf. She had dark hair flowing past her shoulders with small curls at the ends, beautiful fair skin, dark green eyes and bright red lips. She looked much like Thalawen had, but Landailyn couldn't begin to guess who it might be in her family line, so she moved on with her tour.

Below it on the floor, sat a waist high stool pushed under a plain narrow desk with a slanted top. On it, sat stacks of parchment, more candles, scattered books on medicine and healing, a quill in its glass holder and two bottles of ink.

To the left of the desk, rested a large elaborately carved chest, a thin layer of dust on its lid.

Landailyn squatted in front of it, lifting the golden metal latch. Filled to the top inside it were folded clothing, a heavy golden pocket watch with Elvish inscriptions and a thick leather book, looking even older than the one she'd found of Thalawen's. And being just as careful, Landailyn flipped through it, skimming over entries dating back as early as a century before the Last Alliance, but mostly the pages held poems and lyrics of songs she did not recognize.   

Closing the chest, she sighed, looking around for something else to explore. A few feet south of the bed, across the entrance of the room, white and lilac see-through drapes hung limply in a wide door-less frame, where a balcony projected off the structure. It was a picture perfect view, sitting just above the treetops and at an angle it faced the Last Homely House in the east.

Landailyn stepped out onto it, breathing in the fresh night air with another sigh, closing her eyes as she felt the wind passing gently over her fair skin and hair. Slowly opening them, she looked out to the mountains and above them to the millions of tiny stars hanging in the black infinity that was the night sky.

"Well, this is quite a lovely home you had, Thalawen." She paused, as if she were waiting for a reply, but she knew there would be none; though perhaps Thalawen was listening from wherever she was. "So, you went to Arwen in her dreams. I'm glad you could, I think it certainly made her feel a sense of closure. And I hope you do not mind my giving your journal to Lord Elrond…or me going through your things for that matter."

It would seem to anyone watching the Wood-Elf that she was speaking to no one at all, but now that she was alone and in the birthplace of her friend, somewhere she could truly connect with her, she wanted to have a little talk. To tell of the troubles that no one else could help her with.

"He finally got to you, didn't he? It was Saruman. I know what you said in your journal, but if you saw this coming, why didn't you let me help you? You saved my life once; I wanted to return that 'favor' someday. But I guess that was what was for you to decide." She shook her head, recalling the words they had spoken to one another the night of her rescue from the corsair captain.

"Thala, if I could only see you again...if I only could only say one thing to you, it would be to tell you how sorry I am for the way I acted the last time we spoke. I don't...I don't know why I lashed out, but I was wrong to do so. I realize now why you were doing what you were and I'm sorry if I hurt you...I truly did not mean what was said." She put a faint luminous hand on the curved railing before her, the other brushing swiftly down her cheeks to clear the droplets seeping from her eyes. "I just wish I could hear you forgive me...but maybe I don't deserve it."

She lingered there only a second longer, then turned her back to drift inside the house once more.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


"Good morning. Do you know if Landailyn is awake yet? She wanted to be up by dawn…"

"I just checked, she's not in her room, but her things are still there."

Elladan nodded, taking the information into thought, recalling the night before when the Mirkwood captain had asked him in private for the directions to their adopted sister's home. "I have an idea where she might be. Check the stables, if she's not there with Ezril, meet me at Thalawen's."

Elrohir's brows creased for a moment, but he suddenly understood and went on his way.


TBC ...

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mirkwood-elf-2931 :
Yay! All our snow is gone so I got to go see Return of the King! It was so awesome!!! I loved it!!! It was so sad though, but I didn't cry...almost...but I didn't! Which is good cuz' I was in public, even if the theater was dark! But my mom cried! LOL! So what did all you reviewers think of it? And Elijah Wood is on Conan O'Brien right now! It's so freakin' hilarious!
Sorry, I know that chapter was pretty short, but the next will be longer, because it's the last one! Yes, the next chapter, chapter 26 will conclude this story! And then I'll be so sad! No more Landailyn and Thalawen to write about! At least no more stories with them together! Cuz' Thalawen gets her own prequel fic and Landailyn gets her own sequel! ;)
Hey, Thala, did you know that a soldier from right here in our town helped with the capture of Saddam Hussein? I saw it on the local news and just thought it was kinda cool.
Well, now that this is posted, I gotta go finish reading on a book that I got my uncle for Christmas before I have to wrap it! LOL! He loves history, especially stuff about the Civil War, so I got him a book that tells about encounters that people have had with ghosts in certain southern states around Civil War battle areas and Generals' mansions. It's called: Phantom Army of the Civil War and Other Southern Ghost Stories. It's really interesting! I like it cuz' used to check out books like that about real ghosts stories from the libraries in school all the time; they were cool! Hmmm, you wanted to know what I wanted for Christmas Thala...hint hint, wink wink! I want a book about real ghost stories! hehe