Disclaimer: not mine.
Author's Notes: thanks to TrinityC for the beta and for assuring me that this was ready to go.
****Flying****
The sound of silence surrounds me. It is eerie being in this place, my home, surrounded not by the constant sound of water falling, but only by silence. There should be other sounds, too. The distant chatter of my friends and family, the sounds of singing and music-making. But not now. Now it's just that accursed silence.
Why did I come back here? I knew it would be empty and over-grown. It breaks my heart. Without the Power of Vilya the ancient stonework has begun to crumble and the weeds have taken over the gardens that my father worked so hard to maintain. The Bruinen was dammed further upstream so no water now reaches the falls. They are dry and empty. Much like my life.
I have been on this plane of existance for far too long. Everyone I cared about has moved on. My father, grandmother and the rest of my extended family sailed West on the last silver ship. My grandfather, Lord Celeborn did remain here in Middle-earth, but we were never very close. It is true that after the ship sailed I did have my twin, my sister, Estel, and Legolas, but they, too, are all gone. Estel was the first to go, simply from old age. Arwen was next, retreating to what was left of Lorien and allowing herself to die there in her childhood home. Poor Legolas was heartbroken after Estel passed and he built his own little ship. He hasn't been seen on these shores in many, many years.
I always thought I would have my brother with me through all this. It never occured to me that it would happen otherwise. My twin has always been by my side and it has been remarked that we truly are two halves of one soul. I believe it with all my heart. But now half my heart is missing. My dearly loved brother fell to a murderous group of Men last spring. It was one of the rare times that we were not together for we never suspected any evil. The bastards surrounded him and managed to strip him of his weapons. I cannot bear to think of what torture they put him through before they finally killed him. I blame myself for his death for if I had been there we may have stood a chance or maybe I would have kept him from going in the first place. I could feel the moment he died and it feels as if I not only lost half my heart but half my mind.
Since the day my twin died I have wandered Middle-earth from Ithilien to the Shire. Then I returned here. I suppose some part of me expected Imladris to remain as it was when there were still Elves here. It was a shock to see it as it is. Seeing it for the first time was like seeing what had become of my life; a broken-down ruin with its former splendour remembered only in whispering echoes. This life... there is nothing left for me here.
I close my eyes and in my mind's eye I see my home as it was in its heyday, filled with happy Elves, beautiful color-filled gardens and birds singing. I can hear a faint roaring as of a distant waterfall. I lean forward, trying to hear better and indeed, the volume does increase slightly. I lean a bit further forward and balance on the very tips of my toes for a moment before falling completely forward. I bring my arms up in a beautiful dive through the air and the roaring in my ears grows louder. I feel wonderful, as though I am flying though the roaring in my head becomes and louder and louder until it is nearly deafening.
Then...
Silence.
Author's Notes: thanks to TrinityC for the beta and for assuring me that this was ready to go.
****Flying****
The sound of silence surrounds me. It is eerie being in this place, my home, surrounded not by the constant sound of water falling, but only by silence. There should be other sounds, too. The distant chatter of my friends and family, the sounds of singing and music-making. But not now. Now it's just that accursed silence.
Why did I come back here? I knew it would be empty and over-grown. It breaks my heart. Without the Power of Vilya the ancient stonework has begun to crumble and the weeds have taken over the gardens that my father worked so hard to maintain. The Bruinen was dammed further upstream so no water now reaches the falls. They are dry and empty. Much like my life.
I have been on this plane of existance for far too long. Everyone I cared about has moved on. My father, grandmother and the rest of my extended family sailed West on the last silver ship. My grandfather, Lord Celeborn did remain here in Middle-earth, but we were never very close. It is true that after the ship sailed I did have my twin, my sister, Estel, and Legolas, but they, too, are all gone. Estel was the first to go, simply from old age. Arwen was next, retreating to what was left of Lorien and allowing herself to die there in her childhood home. Poor Legolas was heartbroken after Estel passed and he built his own little ship. He hasn't been seen on these shores in many, many years.
I always thought I would have my brother with me through all this. It never occured to me that it would happen otherwise. My twin has always been by my side and it has been remarked that we truly are two halves of one soul. I believe it with all my heart. But now half my heart is missing. My dearly loved brother fell to a murderous group of Men last spring. It was one of the rare times that we were not together for we never suspected any evil. The bastards surrounded him and managed to strip him of his weapons. I cannot bear to think of what torture they put him through before they finally killed him. I blame myself for his death for if I had been there we may have stood a chance or maybe I would have kept him from going in the first place. I could feel the moment he died and it feels as if I not only lost half my heart but half my mind.
Since the day my twin died I have wandered Middle-earth from Ithilien to the Shire. Then I returned here. I suppose some part of me expected Imladris to remain as it was when there were still Elves here. It was a shock to see it as it is. Seeing it for the first time was like seeing what had become of my life; a broken-down ruin with its former splendour remembered only in whispering echoes. This life... there is nothing left for me here.
I close my eyes and in my mind's eye I see my home as it was in its heyday, filled with happy Elves, beautiful color-filled gardens and birds singing. I can hear a faint roaring as of a distant waterfall. I lean forward, trying to hear better and indeed, the volume does increase slightly. I lean a bit further forward and balance on the very tips of my toes for a moment before falling completely forward. I bring my arms up in a beautiful dive through the air and the roaring in my ears grows louder. I feel wonderful, as though I am flying though the roaring in my head becomes and louder and louder until it is nearly deafening.
Then...
Silence.