Chapter 2: Travelling broadens one's horizon
GONDOR
Aragorn awoke with a start. He sat up in bed breathing heavily, the images of his dream still flashing vividly in his mind. Suddenly he felt a soft and soothing hand on his shoulder.
"Mani naa ta, mela en' coiamin? /What is it, love of my life?/ Has your sleep been disturbed by bad dreams?", his wife Arwen asked with her melodious voice.
"I'm not sure, my heart!", he kissed her hand "It might not have been a mere dream. It felt more like a message."
"What did you see?", she looked at him expectantly with her beautiful blue eyes.
"I saw a creature. It was neither human nor beast. Then there was fire, screaming, suffering people and devastated land.", he paused, his forehead in a concerned frown.
"It felt like I was witnessing something that actually happened or is still to come. Then there was Gandalf. I saw him at your father's home in Rivendell. He had a message for me!"
"What was that message?"
"It was just one word: Come!"
~
It was early in the morning and Aragorn was ready to leave behind his duties as the King of Gondor and his beloved wife. He was dressed in an outfit, that was similar to those he had worn during his time as a ranger and Isildur's reforged blade hung at his side.
Only a year had passed since the end of the War of the Ring and yet those events seemed already so far away. Actually it felt to him as if a totally new life had begun from that point in time.
He went from being Strider, who lived out in the wilderness without the need of anybody's company, to being Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, one of the most powerful men of Middle-Earth.
He had always wanted to change the world, to make it a better place. Now he actually had the chance to. But as they say - with great power comes great responsibility and that was the reason he was now leaving his relatively peaceful and orderly life behind, to do what every king had to do - protect his people, even if that meant risking his own life.
But the most important change in his life, besides his new responsibilities, was Arwen. For years he had only dreamed about her, admired her secretly from afar and now he was actually married to her. Everyday he discovered something new about her that intrigued him and made him love her even more. Now his heart was heavy at the thought of once again having to leave her behind.
"I wish I could come with you, my love!", she said and it seemed like she had read his thoughts.
He looked up at her and smiled sadly. "And I wish I didn't have to part from you!"
"I know.", she answered softly and stepped closer. They shared one last sweet kiss and just stood there for a few moments with their foreheads leaned against each other, just enjoying intimacy of the moment.
"I fear you have to leave now, Estel.", she sighed sadly and added "You know that I will think of you every minute and every second we are apart. Amin mela lle. Coramin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au'! /I love you. My heart shall weep until it sees you again!/ And now go, before I decide to come with you against my better judgement."
SOMEWHERE DEEP DOWN THE GLITTERING CAVES
Finally! He had found it! Gimli stepped into one of the main caves that glittered like the evening sky, with hundreds and hundreds of precious, sparkling gems, illuminated by the light of his torch. The sight was truly breathtaking and his dwarven heart beat a little bit faster, when he looked at all the riches that surrounded him.
He had been wanting to explore the Glittering Caves further, ever since he had come to visit here with Legolas.
The elf was a valiant, brave warrior and a dear friend, but he had incessantly complained about gloom of the dark and the lack of fresh air, though he grudgingly had to admit later, that this place possessed a certain beauty. Gimli shook his head and grinned amused by the memory.
He kneeled down and began to have a closer look at the gems. There was the black onyx, green emerald, blue sapphire, red ruby and golden-yellow amber.
All the colours of the rainbow seemed to be captured in those precious stones. Gimli spent hours looking at them and picking out the most beautiful ones to take with him as souvenirs, when he would return to the surface.
Somewhere between counting his gems and estimating their value, his eyes shining with joy, he must have fallen asleep. He dreamed the strangest things.
Something about a dangerous, evil man, if you could call him that, because he looked more like a demon, and his army of vicious bloodthirsty creatures. Everything seemed so real, including Gandalf's message, that followed at the end. The whole dream was almost as touchable as the precious stones he had in his pockets.
He awoke with a sad expression on his face and said to himself with disappointment ringing in his voice, "Well, it appears that it is time to leave this little paradise behind and meet Gandalf in Rivendell! After all an adventure wouldn't be complete without a dwarf in it, wouldn't?"
He sighed, picked up his axe and bags and turned to leave the caves.
MIRKWOOD
Legolas was riding through the dark and quiet forest of Mirkwood. He and royal guard had set out to patrol. They had the task of defending the palace against the attacks of the spiders, who lived in Mirkwood and whose number had been increasing drastically just recently. In the course of the night they had killed at least a few dozens of those beasts. Now the elves were all exhausted and slowly making there way back home.
Back in the days, when Legolas was still young, he had greatly enjoyed riding through the woods. In those days they had been more peaceful and less dangerous.
Legolas loved being out in nature, as all elves did, and felt a strong connection with everything in it. He breathed in the fresh and cool smell of the woods, with the air of someone, who could contently look back on a day, or in his case, a night, of hard work.
After a few minutes they arrived at the palace and Legolas went to his room to rest.
A soft breeze blew in from his balcony, rustling through the leaves of the nearby trees. He lay on his bed and listened to the soft and even melody of the wind, his consciousness slowly slipping away from him. Legolas relaxed and gave in to the peaceful sensation of falling asleep, that engulfed him like a warming blanket.
Moments later he shot up to a sitting position. That hadn't been just an ordinary dream! It had been a call! Gandalf was summoning him to Rivendell. He had to help him fight a new foe that threatened Middle-Earth.
He got ready as fast as possible and was on his way.
~
"Are you sure that all three of them got the message you send them?", Selina asked with raised eyebrows. The wizard just smiled in response and motioned her to keep watching.
Selina and Gandalf were both standing on a terrace in Rivendell, from which they could see the arrival of new visitors to Lord Elrond's home.
A few minutes ago a fair faced, blond haired Elf, with a bow and arrows slung over his shoulder had arrived, about whom the old wizard had said that he was Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of the Mirkwood Elves, son of King Thranduil.
She glanced down at him curiously. He seemed to be a proud person, his bearing was regal and graceful.
The elf was just about to lead his horse to the stables, when a dwarf arrived. They both seemed to be close friends and Legolas hurried to greet him. She smiled warmly at the scene and could faintly hear, due to her heightened senses, that they almost immediately began to indulge themselves into companionable banter.
"Legolas and Gimli are the most unlikely kind of friends", Gandalf smiled at her, as he noticed her amusement. She nodded in response, her eyes still fixed on the court below them.
Moments later a rugged looking, dark haired man by the name of Aragorn, as she was told by the wizard, arrived and was welcomed warmly by the other two. Watching them interact, she had the feeling that those three people were linked by a strong bond of friendship that had been forged in time of crisis and despair.
She raised an eyebrow and turned to Gandalf with a sceptic look on her face. "A human, a dwarf and an elf! That is the army with which you intend to defeat my brother?", Selina asked incredulously.
"There is more to them than meets the eye, rest assured. We are talking about the greatest heroes of the War of the Ring."
"Well they better be worth the trouble!", she said. "If you excuse me for a minute, I'm going to introduce myself and take a closer look."
With that she climbed the rail of the terrace and gracefully jumped down from it, landing in the middle of the court in a crouch, just a few meters from the little group of friends.
Her entrance had surely gotten everybody's attention. Nobody survived a jump from a height of ten meters without a scratch that easily.
Selina slowly raised from her crouched position on the floor and casually strode over to the three men, who stared at her in amazement.
"Greetings to you travellers! Gandalf and I were already expecting your arrival. My name is Selina and I'm a Selvadage'tok", she cocked her head and looked at them expectantly with her amber eyes.
Seconds passed without anybody speaking, while the friends were just watching her in fascination. She looked at the baffled faces, that greeted her and couldn't help but grin. The silence was suddenly broken as Selina threw back her head and led out a rich, melodious laugh.
"Well I don't know about you, but my people usually greet each other and introduce themselves properly, after the other person has already done so", she said with amusement ringing in her voice.
GONDOR
Aragorn awoke with a start. He sat up in bed breathing heavily, the images of his dream still flashing vividly in his mind. Suddenly he felt a soft and soothing hand on his shoulder.
"Mani naa ta, mela en' coiamin? /What is it, love of my life?/ Has your sleep been disturbed by bad dreams?", his wife Arwen asked with her melodious voice.
"I'm not sure, my heart!", he kissed her hand "It might not have been a mere dream. It felt more like a message."
"What did you see?", she looked at him expectantly with her beautiful blue eyes.
"I saw a creature. It was neither human nor beast. Then there was fire, screaming, suffering people and devastated land.", he paused, his forehead in a concerned frown.
"It felt like I was witnessing something that actually happened or is still to come. Then there was Gandalf. I saw him at your father's home in Rivendell. He had a message for me!"
"What was that message?"
"It was just one word: Come!"
~
It was early in the morning and Aragorn was ready to leave behind his duties as the King of Gondor and his beloved wife. He was dressed in an outfit, that was similar to those he had worn during his time as a ranger and Isildur's reforged blade hung at his side.
Only a year had passed since the end of the War of the Ring and yet those events seemed already so far away. Actually it felt to him as if a totally new life had begun from that point in time.
He went from being Strider, who lived out in the wilderness without the need of anybody's company, to being Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, one of the most powerful men of Middle-Earth.
He had always wanted to change the world, to make it a better place. Now he actually had the chance to. But as they say - with great power comes great responsibility and that was the reason he was now leaving his relatively peaceful and orderly life behind, to do what every king had to do - protect his people, even if that meant risking his own life.
But the most important change in his life, besides his new responsibilities, was Arwen. For years he had only dreamed about her, admired her secretly from afar and now he was actually married to her. Everyday he discovered something new about her that intrigued him and made him love her even more. Now his heart was heavy at the thought of once again having to leave her behind.
"I wish I could come with you, my love!", she said and it seemed like she had read his thoughts.
He looked up at her and smiled sadly. "And I wish I didn't have to part from you!"
"I know.", she answered softly and stepped closer. They shared one last sweet kiss and just stood there for a few moments with their foreheads leaned against each other, just enjoying intimacy of the moment.
"I fear you have to leave now, Estel.", she sighed sadly and added "You know that I will think of you every minute and every second we are apart. Amin mela lle. Coramin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au'! /I love you. My heart shall weep until it sees you again!/ And now go, before I decide to come with you against my better judgement."
SOMEWHERE DEEP DOWN THE GLITTERING CAVES
Finally! He had found it! Gimli stepped into one of the main caves that glittered like the evening sky, with hundreds and hundreds of precious, sparkling gems, illuminated by the light of his torch. The sight was truly breathtaking and his dwarven heart beat a little bit faster, when he looked at all the riches that surrounded him.
He had been wanting to explore the Glittering Caves further, ever since he had come to visit here with Legolas.
The elf was a valiant, brave warrior and a dear friend, but he had incessantly complained about gloom of the dark and the lack of fresh air, though he grudgingly had to admit later, that this place possessed a certain beauty. Gimli shook his head and grinned amused by the memory.
He kneeled down and began to have a closer look at the gems. There was the black onyx, green emerald, blue sapphire, red ruby and golden-yellow amber.
All the colours of the rainbow seemed to be captured in those precious stones. Gimli spent hours looking at them and picking out the most beautiful ones to take with him as souvenirs, when he would return to the surface.
Somewhere between counting his gems and estimating their value, his eyes shining with joy, he must have fallen asleep. He dreamed the strangest things.
Something about a dangerous, evil man, if you could call him that, because he looked more like a demon, and his army of vicious bloodthirsty creatures. Everything seemed so real, including Gandalf's message, that followed at the end. The whole dream was almost as touchable as the precious stones he had in his pockets.
He awoke with a sad expression on his face and said to himself with disappointment ringing in his voice, "Well, it appears that it is time to leave this little paradise behind and meet Gandalf in Rivendell! After all an adventure wouldn't be complete without a dwarf in it, wouldn't?"
He sighed, picked up his axe and bags and turned to leave the caves.
MIRKWOOD
Legolas was riding through the dark and quiet forest of Mirkwood. He and royal guard had set out to patrol. They had the task of defending the palace against the attacks of the spiders, who lived in Mirkwood and whose number had been increasing drastically just recently. In the course of the night they had killed at least a few dozens of those beasts. Now the elves were all exhausted and slowly making there way back home.
Back in the days, when Legolas was still young, he had greatly enjoyed riding through the woods. In those days they had been more peaceful and less dangerous.
Legolas loved being out in nature, as all elves did, and felt a strong connection with everything in it. He breathed in the fresh and cool smell of the woods, with the air of someone, who could contently look back on a day, or in his case, a night, of hard work.
After a few minutes they arrived at the palace and Legolas went to his room to rest.
A soft breeze blew in from his balcony, rustling through the leaves of the nearby trees. He lay on his bed and listened to the soft and even melody of the wind, his consciousness slowly slipping away from him. Legolas relaxed and gave in to the peaceful sensation of falling asleep, that engulfed him like a warming blanket.
Moments later he shot up to a sitting position. That hadn't been just an ordinary dream! It had been a call! Gandalf was summoning him to Rivendell. He had to help him fight a new foe that threatened Middle-Earth.
He got ready as fast as possible and was on his way.
~
"Are you sure that all three of them got the message you send them?", Selina asked with raised eyebrows. The wizard just smiled in response and motioned her to keep watching.
Selina and Gandalf were both standing on a terrace in Rivendell, from which they could see the arrival of new visitors to Lord Elrond's home.
A few minutes ago a fair faced, blond haired Elf, with a bow and arrows slung over his shoulder had arrived, about whom the old wizard had said that he was Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of the Mirkwood Elves, son of King Thranduil.
She glanced down at him curiously. He seemed to be a proud person, his bearing was regal and graceful.
The elf was just about to lead his horse to the stables, when a dwarf arrived. They both seemed to be close friends and Legolas hurried to greet him. She smiled warmly at the scene and could faintly hear, due to her heightened senses, that they almost immediately began to indulge themselves into companionable banter.
"Legolas and Gimli are the most unlikely kind of friends", Gandalf smiled at her, as he noticed her amusement. She nodded in response, her eyes still fixed on the court below them.
Moments later a rugged looking, dark haired man by the name of Aragorn, as she was told by the wizard, arrived and was welcomed warmly by the other two. Watching them interact, she had the feeling that those three people were linked by a strong bond of friendship that had been forged in time of crisis and despair.
She raised an eyebrow and turned to Gandalf with a sceptic look on her face. "A human, a dwarf and an elf! That is the army with which you intend to defeat my brother?", Selina asked incredulously.
"There is more to them than meets the eye, rest assured. We are talking about the greatest heroes of the War of the Ring."
"Well they better be worth the trouble!", she said. "If you excuse me for a minute, I'm going to introduce myself and take a closer look."
With that she climbed the rail of the terrace and gracefully jumped down from it, landing in the middle of the court in a crouch, just a few meters from the little group of friends.
Her entrance had surely gotten everybody's attention. Nobody survived a jump from a height of ten meters without a scratch that easily.
Selina slowly raised from her crouched position on the floor and casually strode over to the three men, who stared at her in amazement.
"Greetings to you travellers! Gandalf and I were already expecting your arrival. My name is Selina and I'm a Selvadage'tok", she cocked her head and looked at them expectantly with her amber eyes.
Seconds passed without anybody speaking, while the friends were just watching her in fascination. She looked at the baffled faces, that greeted her and couldn't help but grin. The silence was suddenly broken as Selina threw back her head and led out a rich, melodious laugh.
"Well I don't know about you, but my people usually greet each other and introduce themselves properly, after the other person has already done so", she said with amusement ringing in her voice.
