THE DAUGHTER OF THE NAZGÛL
DiSCLaiMeR:
All characters (Other than Kyhoril, Gondronil, and perhaps a few others...) belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.
Yay for him.
He deserves a cookie.
:P
AuTHoR'S NoTe:
This is a combination of what would have been chapters two and three.
They were pretty short,
So I put them together.
Makes more sense this way, anyhow.
R/R, please.
Thanks much.
AU, AU, AU!
There, now you can't yell at me too much...
THE DAUGHTER OF THE NAZGÛL - ChaPTeR TWo ((Memories And Explanations))
The night was dark. The radiant moon that had ruled the sky in her dream was replaced by a sliver of light that barely brightened her surroundings. She rode along the river Loudwater, focusing only on what was ahead of her and trying to forget what she had left behind.
She continued to follow the river until day came and darkness started to fall once again, stopping only twice to rest her horse and lessen her hunger. She found that the river curved in front of her and flowed towards the Misty Mountains, and looked for a crossing, knowing that Rivendell lay across the river branch in the valley. After searching for what seemed like hours, she found a small bridge and guided the horse across, making it no more than ten feet away from the river before she found herself the target of two elven guards of Rivendell.
"What business do you have in our woods, Mistress?" one of the elves asked.
"I must speak to Lord Elrond. I am in need of his counsel," Kyhoril answered, curtsying slightly.
"I will take her. You keep watch of the bridge," the one who had been silent finally said to the other in Elvish. He replaced his arrow in the quiver and slung his bow over he shoulder.
He moved swiftly among the trees, looking back every so often to make sure she was keeping up. They came over the top of a large hill and the city of Rivendell lay beneath them.
Kyhoril stopped, taking in the beauty of the elven city.
"This is your first time in Rivendell?" the elf-guard asked with a slight smile.
She nodded, preoccupied with her surroundings.
Her horse was taken by another elf to the stables to be fed and rested, and she was left alone on a bench on a balcony to wait for Elrond. As she sat in the sanctuary of the House of Elrond, thoughts of the previous night poured back into her mind, replaying like a dream that could not wait until night.
'It is too late now...'
He had been her keeper, saving her when no one else could. A ranger. He had found her lying helpless in the woods, no more than a year old. The screaming cries of the ring wraiths mixed with hers. A child, left for death in the woods; Her mother lay cold, only a few yards away. Victim to the poison blade of the Nazgûl. The wraith screeched once more, and he rescued her. He took her in as his own and protected her.
'I'll follow behind you...'
"You've come to speak to me, young mistress?"
Kyhoril snapped back into reality and found Lord Elrond standing in front of her. Coming to her senses, she stood and curtsied deeply in respect for the elf. He nodded in return and motioned for her to follow him into the house.
He offered her a seat and sat down across from her. The wall behind him was covered in books. The wooden shelves were decorated lavishly with elvish designs. On each side of her there were large archways, out of which much of Rivendell could be seen. Outside full night had come, but the room was lit by many white candles and it seemed to threaten the darkness.
"I am Kyhoril, daughter of Okhoril," Kyhoril said, "I've come for your help."
"Kyhoril..." Elrond repeated.
'Speak with Elrond. Tell him who you are, and what has happened...'
"Last descendant of Akhorahil," she added quietly, "this is why I have come."
"The Nazgûl," he replied, "So you are the daughter of the fallen king."
He paused, studying the woman.
"Tell me, what do you know of your history?"
Kyhoril paused, not knowing where to start.
"Well, let me tell you what I know," Lord Elrond said in reply to her hesitation, "Your ancestor, Akhorahil, was one of the great kings of men. He led his followers with much loyalty and integrity, until one day, in the second age, he, along with eight other wise kings, was given a ring by Sauron the Deceiver. In time that ring of power corrupted him, and he became the twisted dark slave that he is now."
He paused in reflection, then continued.
"He, along with the others, had families. For they were human, and all kings need heirs. The blood connection contains a dangerous power, and Sauron knew this. Therefore he commanded the wraiths to terminate that threat."
"To kill their own families," Kyhoril said, quietly. Elrond nodded.
"Akhorahil murdered his wife, and came soon thereafter for his son, Ekhorahil, and his son's wife and daughter. The family was warned, however, and Ekhorahil sent away his wife and daughter to safety while he stayed behind to face his father."
"From what I've been able to piece together, they were taken in by the rangers, and were protected through many generations, but it's been told that the line had long since disintegrated, and I'd believed it, until about 19 years ago, when a ranger came to me for counsel. Seems he had a run in with a ring wraith in the forest and had come out of it with an added responsibility. A baby, left to die in the forest,"
"Gondronil. The ranger," Kyhoril told him, "He took me in. When they killed my mother. He saved me. He knew who I was and what danger I brought, and he still took it upon himself to raise me and protect me."
Elrond nodded solemnly. "He was an honorable man. He did what he felt was necessary."
"He did more than was necessary," she said, the memory of the previous night flashing once more through her mind, "He sacrificed his life to save mine."
"Not much unlike Ekhorahil," Elrond said, "But you shouldn't jump to conclusions. His fate is not yet known," though in his mind, he was doubtful; A Nazgûl is a vicious enemy to face alone.
The silvery tears that lingered in her eyes were overshadowed by a flicker of hope, and a moment of silence passed between them, as Kyhoril processed all the information she had been given.
Finally she spoke, "Blood connection contains a dangerous power," she repeated, "Do they consider me a threat, still? After all these years. Why are they coming for me now?"
Elrond looked into her eyes, then said gently, "That is a discussion for another time. For now, you must get some food and rest. You must feel a need for it."
CHAPTER THREE is on the way. R/R, please.
DiSCLaiMeR:
All characters (Other than Kyhoril, Gondronil, and perhaps a few others...) belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.
Yay for him.
He deserves a cookie.
:P
AuTHoR'S NoTe:
This is a combination of what would have been chapters two and three.
They were pretty short,
So I put them together.
Makes more sense this way, anyhow.
R/R, please.
Thanks much.
AU, AU, AU!
There, now you can't yell at me too much...
THE DAUGHTER OF THE NAZGÛL - ChaPTeR TWo ((Memories And Explanations))
The night was dark. The radiant moon that had ruled the sky in her dream was replaced by a sliver of light that barely brightened her surroundings. She rode along the river Loudwater, focusing only on what was ahead of her and trying to forget what she had left behind.
She continued to follow the river until day came and darkness started to fall once again, stopping only twice to rest her horse and lessen her hunger. She found that the river curved in front of her and flowed towards the Misty Mountains, and looked for a crossing, knowing that Rivendell lay across the river branch in the valley. After searching for what seemed like hours, she found a small bridge and guided the horse across, making it no more than ten feet away from the river before she found herself the target of two elven guards of Rivendell.
"What business do you have in our woods, Mistress?" one of the elves asked.
"I must speak to Lord Elrond. I am in need of his counsel," Kyhoril answered, curtsying slightly.
"I will take her. You keep watch of the bridge," the one who had been silent finally said to the other in Elvish. He replaced his arrow in the quiver and slung his bow over he shoulder.
He moved swiftly among the trees, looking back every so often to make sure she was keeping up. They came over the top of a large hill and the city of Rivendell lay beneath them.
Kyhoril stopped, taking in the beauty of the elven city.
"This is your first time in Rivendell?" the elf-guard asked with a slight smile.
She nodded, preoccupied with her surroundings.
Her horse was taken by another elf to the stables to be fed and rested, and she was left alone on a bench on a balcony to wait for Elrond. As she sat in the sanctuary of the House of Elrond, thoughts of the previous night poured back into her mind, replaying like a dream that could not wait until night.
'It is too late now...'
He had been her keeper, saving her when no one else could. A ranger. He had found her lying helpless in the woods, no more than a year old. The screaming cries of the ring wraiths mixed with hers. A child, left for death in the woods; Her mother lay cold, only a few yards away. Victim to the poison blade of the Nazgûl. The wraith screeched once more, and he rescued her. He took her in as his own and protected her.
'I'll follow behind you...'
"You've come to speak to me, young mistress?"
Kyhoril snapped back into reality and found Lord Elrond standing in front of her. Coming to her senses, she stood and curtsied deeply in respect for the elf. He nodded in return and motioned for her to follow him into the house.
He offered her a seat and sat down across from her. The wall behind him was covered in books. The wooden shelves were decorated lavishly with elvish designs. On each side of her there were large archways, out of which much of Rivendell could be seen. Outside full night had come, but the room was lit by many white candles and it seemed to threaten the darkness.
"I am Kyhoril, daughter of Okhoril," Kyhoril said, "I've come for your help."
"Kyhoril..." Elrond repeated.
'Speak with Elrond. Tell him who you are, and what has happened...'
"Last descendant of Akhorahil," she added quietly, "this is why I have come."
"The Nazgûl," he replied, "So you are the daughter of the fallen king."
He paused, studying the woman.
"Tell me, what do you know of your history?"
Kyhoril paused, not knowing where to start.
"Well, let me tell you what I know," Lord Elrond said in reply to her hesitation, "Your ancestor, Akhorahil, was one of the great kings of men. He led his followers with much loyalty and integrity, until one day, in the second age, he, along with eight other wise kings, was given a ring by Sauron the Deceiver. In time that ring of power corrupted him, and he became the twisted dark slave that he is now."
He paused in reflection, then continued.
"He, along with the others, had families. For they were human, and all kings need heirs. The blood connection contains a dangerous power, and Sauron knew this. Therefore he commanded the wraiths to terminate that threat."
"To kill their own families," Kyhoril said, quietly. Elrond nodded.
"Akhorahil murdered his wife, and came soon thereafter for his son, Ekhorahil, and his son's wife and daughter. The family was warned, however, and Ekhorahil sent away his wife and daughter to safety while he stayed behind to face his father."
"From what I've been able to piece together, they were taken in by the rangers, and were protected through many generations, but it's been told that the line had long since disintegrated, and I'd believed it, until about 19 years ago, when a ranger came to me for counsel. Seems he had a run in with a ring wraith in the forest and had come out of it with an added responsibility. A baby, left to die in the forest,"
"Gondronil. The ranger," Kyhoril told him, "He took me in. When they killed my mother. He saved me. He knew who I was and what danger I brought, and he still took it upon himself to raise me and protect me."
Elrond nodded solemnly. "He was an honorable man. He did what he felt was necessary."
"He did more than was necessary," she said, the memory of the previous night flashing once more through her mind, "He sacrificed his life to save mine."
"Not much unlike Ekhorahil," Elrond said, "But you shouldn't jump to conclusions. His fate is not yet known," though in his mind, he was doubtful; A Nazgûl is a vicious enemy to face alone.
The silvery tears that lingered in her eyes were overshadowed by a flicker of hope, and a moment of silence passed between them, as Kyhoril processed all the information she had been given.
Finally she spoke, "Blood connection contains a dangerous power," she repeated, "Do they consider me a threat, still? After all these years. Why are they coming for me now?"
Elrond looked into her eyes, then said gently, "That is a discussion for another time. For now, you must get some food and rest. You must feel a need for it."
CHAPTER THREE is on the way. R/R, please.