Chapter 1 ~Waterfall~
300 Leagues away from the Battlefield in Rivendell, Elendil Alcawen awoke with a start, sweat slightly outlining her hairline. It was still dark outside, and the outline of her favourite spot behind the waterfall could barely be seen. Through her window she could hear the water splash as it reached the bottom of its escape route filling the pond with fresh water. The water soon turned red, bubbling and sticky. her eyes snapped open again. It was a dream, only a dream. Her parents weren't dead; they were coming back this morning actually. This morning, this morning was also her birthday!
"My birthday. Isn't that great? And I can't even sleep in." she muttered to herself sitting upright I her bed smoothing out the white blankets on both sides of her slender legs.
She stopped. "Great now I'm talking to myself." Resolving to stop the insanity, she slipped out of her covers that caused her to jump a bit, feeling the coolness of the ground.
Making her way out of her room, she walked barefoot down to the garden. Her father was always telling her to put on shoes, but she never found a need for them, especially when there was the soft grass to cushion your feet from anything harmful. The sun was starting to stir and the morning rays of light started creeping into the hidden realm of Rivendell.
The garden was beautiful, and the flowers always reminded her of beauty and innocence. She was always sad to see flowers die and diminish. So naturally, when she thought a flower was going to die, she surrounded it with new seeds so more would grow in its place and she would forget about it.
The sun was now creeping even further into her home, and that meant that her birthday would be over even sooner then she expected. So she would make every moment count.
She ran from the garden swiftly up to her Uncles room and peeked inside. Much to her surprise, he was already awake. She stepped into the room and no sooner had she done so, felt as though there was something wrong. Coldness swept through her and for a moment she felt her eyes close again and the image that was in her dream was playing vividly in her mind. Killing, blood, screams of horror and pain. Dead bodies, red-stained swords and ugly Orc-heads swam in her mind. She could smell the bitter smell of blood, taste the flesh with her tongue, and she felt like her hands were upon the surface of an Urúk-Hai, the rough, slimy, lumpy surface of their skin. Her breath seemed to be cut short, as if she was being held under water. She tried to open her eyes, but they remained shut. She tried to open them with her hands, but they wouldn't budge.
"Tee! Tee! Are you okay?" Elrond asked with worry on his face. "Tee?"
Elendil opened her eyes, her breath coming out in short gasps as her chest moved up and down.
"You okay?" her uncle asked again, squatting down beside her.
Elendil nodded. "How did I get on the ground?"
"You fell down. You were standing by the doorway and you just fell." He told her.
"I fell?"
He nodded; supporting her arms and helping her get up as he guided her to his bed. "What happened?"
"I.I just.my eyes just closed and I saw my dream again, I saw it all so clearly, and I couldn't stop it, I tried to open my eyes and they just wouldn't open and I tried to open them but they stayed closed and I didn't like what I was seeing and I could almost taste blood and I felt like I was just watching something happen and I was trapped and I couldn't do anything about it and I tried to open my eyes but I - "
"Tee." Elrond said gently. "You're saying too much at one time. Slow down." He put a hand on her shoulder, only then did Elendil realize she was shaking audibly. "What was the dream about?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but just couldn't stop shaking. A tear snaked its way down her face, and for a moment, she felt like she had plunged into ice. Elrond sat down beside her and wrapped her in a hug, smoothing her black as midnight hair with his palm.
"It's okay, you're okay, you're fine. Just a bad dream."
"The dream, it seemed so real," she began, grateful for his hug. "I dreamt of mom and dad-"
"You miss them." He said over her head, still smoothing out her hair.
"They were against Orad-Dúr, and they tried to kill him-" her voice grew unsteady.
"You want them to come home, you miss them, and they'll be here soon."
Elendil flung up from his hug, "But they didn't kill him," she said louder, her face now streaked with tears.
"They will, they-"
"No! They failed!"
"Tee."
"They failed Elrond!"
"They didn't -"
"Yes they did!"
"Tee, it was only a dream, they're fine, they didn't fail, they-"
"They died!" she screamed.
That moment all of Rivendell awoke to the sound of trumpets, the fighters of Rivendell had returned.
~*~
Elrond didn't even hear the trumpets blowing outside his grounds. His niece was standing in his room, her slim body visibly trembling in the early morning light. It wasn't exactly right for the occasion. July 14th was not only her birthday, but also today marked the return of her parents.
"Tee." he sighed using his personal nickname for his most beloved niece. Elendil was the only she-elf Elrond had ever met throughout his long years on Middle-Earth who shined brighter then even the stars. "Tiri", bright is what it meant, and his brothers' only daughter and most loved in Rivendell since the departure of Arwen, Elendil was an elf which good things went to. Her heart and spirit were pure, filled with love and peace. She never uttered harmful words or did anything to offend anyone. He only recently called her Tee, and the first time she heard it she laughed like there was no tomorrow. Now it had grown on her, and her real name was no longer a regular part of his vocabulary.
She was sitting on his bed a foot away from him, visibly shaking as if a cold breeze suddenly drifted into the room. The sun was now completely covering Rivendell with it's bright light, and only now did Elrond see the fear in Elendils' eyes. Elendil was never scared. Not of confrontation, not of being proved wrong, not of challenges, not of death nor of those close to her.
"Tee." He said again feeling a sudden darkness upon him as he walked to Elendil. "It was a dream, nothing more. Why are you so scared?"
"It seemed so real.. and it still does." She said shakily as a tear snaked down her cheek. "It was like one of those dreams where it just seems to real to be a dream, and then you wake up and it sort of passes you over, but it never fully leaves you. It just lingers in your thoughts and haunts you and haunts you.. then it happens, and you don't know what to do and you don't know what to say because you feel like you've already experienced the pain which is now deep within your skin." She stopped, her breathing a little short as she tried to catch it. She looked down at the ground with her hair swept on the other side of her face so he could see her. "I'm scared Elrond.. I'm scared.. I've never sensed this before." she said quietly. She looked to her side at him. "Remember when you told me I have a good intuition?" she asked, her eyes staring into his.
"Yes."
"Guess what it's telling me about this dream?"
Elrond said nothing, and held Elendils eyes in place.
"It's not just a dream."
Breath.
Gone.
"Tee."
She said nothing, and her eyes seemed to become glazed over and she just fell against him. "This time you're wrong."
O god please let her be wrong. He thought. Over the past three months that her parents have been away, her and Elrond became closer then they ever were. He was grateful for their relationship, and since Arwens' departure he's come to love her almost as much. She was hesitant at first, but slowly she began to open up to him and he to her. Up until three months ago he never knew how much he didn't know about his niece, or how much his brother didn't know about his daughter.
From the outside Elendil Alcawen looked every bit the lovely lady whom all of Rivendell adored. Bright, charming, lovable, and adventurous, everyone looked upon her to be a Lady. Prim, proper and polite. Even though she was, there was a side of her, which Elrond loved more. It made her more approachable, more like herself when she was around her parents and him. That side of her was outspoken, ambitious, curious about all things that she knew not of, imaginative, funny and independent. She strived to learn and she stopped at nothing to do so. He knew there was a lot more in her then anyone could ever imagine, and he foresaw much power in her. Trusting her intuition was a survival instinct that she actively used, and one that she discovered to be always right.
It was a warm night and Elendil was outside when she thought that something was about to hit her. She kept on walking and tried to ignore the strong feeling inside her, finally when she couldn't handle it anymore she stopped walking. At that exact moment an arrow shot right in front of her face, narrowly missing her and sunk into the tree beside her.
That feeling right now was one that Elrond hoped was wrong. "I'm going down to see Ciron and your parents, and you're coming." He told her as he helped her onto her feet. Her face was streaked with tears, which he told her to wipe.
"I'm not going."
"Why not?"
"Because."
Elrond sighed and commanded her to look at him, "You are coming. You will wipe up your tears and we will walk down to Ciron and we will see your parents. Proving your intuition wrong. Now come on." He turned and walked out of his room. Promptly, he heard Elendil get up off the bed and follow him, as she gathered her pale pink robes, she walked beside Elrond in silence, her feet making no sound as they descended down the steps towards the sounds of the trumpets still blowing in the wind.
Elrond snuck a peek at her out of the corner of his eyes. Her tears were still there.
"Ciron, good morning." Elrond greeted the blonde-haired elf that came to Rivendell only a few years after Elendil was born from Lórien.
" 'Quel amrun[1] Elrond." Ciron greeted him as he came forward, which was a sign for the trumpets to stop playing. He looked behind Elronds' shoulder at Elendil and his eyes fell to the ground between them.
"Ciron, Mani naa ta2?" Elrond asked gently placing one hand on his fellow elfs shoulder.
Ciron again looked over his shoulder at Elendil, and Elrond did the same. As he turned his head around he noticed all the other elves looking at her.
She was looking directly at Elrond; eyes fixed and face blank in expression, which spoke volumes to him.
"Ciron." He said again with more urgency then before.
"Amin hiraetha." he whispered, looking down at the ground. "Elrondor and Enyawen. they fell." he said barely audibly. "Just yesterday Master Elrond, we found them and brought their bodies back." He said pointing behind him down the bridge at two horses with two shapes draped over their backs.
Elrond didn't move. Not a muscle in his body, not a blink of an eye. His brother and sister-in-law were gone. Both who meant so much to him. A brother who was always there from him and vowed to protect him no matter what came his way. A brother who always stayed strong in his eyes, one who always kept his word and was his most trusted companion for the thousands of years that they dwelt upon Middle- Earth. His sister-in-law who treated him like a brother and was his emotional support for years, even before his brother got married to her. She never spoke harshly, except when her loved ones were in danger. She would fight to the death for them without thinking twice. It was Enyawen who brought Elendil into the world, and when she was born, Elronds' emotional distress was washed away. He had greatly felt the absence of Arwen, he had missed the sound of soft feet and the swish of light dresses running around his grounds. For a long while, Rivendell mourned the departure of Arwen to wed Aragorn Elessar, Isildurs' heir to the Reunited Kingdom of the Dúnedain. He felt as though he forgot the sound of a young elf's voice that rang of purity and grace. When Elendil was born on this day on this day in 1714, Elrond never thought that she would be able to ease his pain with her ways. Her personality was exceptionally different from that of Arwen, and her views even more so. There was one thing that she and Arwen both shared: they were cousins. Elendil had yet to know that, but it mattered not. For time would one day come that she would know. "I'm sorry Elrond." Ciron said quietly. This time he didn't look over Elronds shoulder to Elendil, instead he signaled to the horses to come. The horses walked by carrying the bodies on their backs and continued up the path to the gardens. As they did, a thought struck him - Elendil was now without parents. He turned to her as Ciron followed the horses into the hills that lead to their burial ground. He could sense Elendil tensing, but he dared not to turn around. The trumpet players walked in single file behind Ciron and each of them wore no expression on their face, but there was no fooling Elrond. After a while, the last of the trumpet players disappeared behind the hill to the garden. He turned around to face his niece, who was now an orphan. No parents to take care of her and she was only One-Hundred and Sixty- Nine years of age, One Hundred and Seventy today. How would he be able to tell her that she had no parents, would never have parents ever again, whose life now lacked direction and guidance from those who lovingly brought her into his world? How would he be able to tell her all of this, on her birthday? "Elendil," he started, only then did he realize he used her given name. The first time he had since her parents' departure. Looking down at her, he saw realization in her eyes, her body looked as if a huge weight had been cast upon it. The pain he felt for Arwens departure was now many times more in her heart. The recognition that she would never see them again, never run into their arms and hug them, sing with them, laugh with them, and they wouldn't be there for her to cry with. She would now, and for the rest of her immortal life cry alone, devoid of any parental affection and no parents to look up to and astonish. In turn, they would not be there to witness their only daughter; their pride and joy grow up. Her life would have a shadow cast upon it forever, hurt that would sink into her very skin. "Your parents. they have gone to the Halls of Mandos." He said gravely, choking back tears. Her eyes were still fixed on Elrond, unblinking as her figure stood as still as a statue in the morning breeze. She didn't cry, she didn't utter a word, nor did she lash out at Elrond of it not being fair that they were taken from her so early in her life. Instead, her chest started to move up and down, her breath coming out in short gasps. With a blank expression her feet walked toward the edge of the bridge. She stood there looking out to the waterfall that was just West of her bedroom window. "Elendil, I'm sorry. I. I really am." Still motionless, her toes crept over the edge of the bridge, "Not a dream." and she jumped. Her feet flew from beneath her, she could feel the air rushing past her and she could hear the sounds of the waterfall splashing as it went crashing to the ground. A voice seemed to be screaming her name in the distance, somewhere far above her and she could only vaguely make it out and she continued to fall. Her eyes were closed as she heard the sounds of splashing water come closer and she knew she was almost there. Down, down, down she went as if she was floating without a care and a thought. The wind ran through her clothes and hair and she felt like a wild horse running in the wind, her hair flaring up behind her. Suddenly a rush of cold water spread all over her body, but it didn't hurt. Instead it made her feel more alive, the coldness woke her up, and she swam up to the surface of the water. She surfaced to find that she nearly bumped into a rock. A few feet away was the waterfall, the beautiful, clean loud waterfall. Water which could easily drown her, a waterfall which was so lovely and so deadly Elendil almost wanted to cry. Very faintly Elendils' pointy ears could make out the sounds of her name, but she ignored them. Her clothes were wet and stuck against her skin, but she couldn't care less at that moment. She swam towards the waterfall, thank goodness she was a good swimmer, the current from the falls were harder and stronger then they looked from her bedroom window. Reaching the tips of the falls, she dove under the impact of the water and opened her eyes. Suddenly it was a whole new world, the different swishes of blue intertwined with each other and the water sparkled under the rays of the sun. The sounds of the world above surrendered to the peaceful hum of the water. She dove deeper, and deeper realizing the water became warmer the farther down she went. Running out of breath she kicked her way up to the surface, shooting out behind the falls. There was a flat level of white stone, with trees outlining the platform, flowers of each kind grew there, and the ray of the sun spread all around, but mainly in the center. She climbed up, her dress sticking to her still as she sat upon the warm platform of sparking white stone. It's amazing in here. She thought. Behind that waterfall, she felt protected from the world, sheltered from the evil and sadness that surrounded her. The cool breeze that circled her gave her the feeling of life; she was numb, she barely felt the wetness of her clothes. All of a sudden a moth flew around her and landed on her hand. Slowly she raised her hand up to come face-to-face with the dark grey creature. Looking down at the small creature, tears started to flood her eyes, for her father loved these creatures. They grew in time and never hurt anyone, all they did was mind their own business and carry news for others.
"Moths are kind creatures of this world. They never harm others, so in turn you shouldn't harm them. Never hurt a moth Elendil, never hurt a moth." Her fathers' words ran loud and clear in her ears. A tear snuck down her face and fell over the edge of her chin into the water from where she emerged. Her parents were gone, and would never speak of it again. How could she? How could she possibly talk about her parents when they were gone? How could she tell someone that she foretold her parents' death? She couldn't, there was no way. Her parents had always promised her that being their only child, she would be forever filled with their love and that she would never be lonely and they would always be there for her. How could they be there for her now? They would want her to be strong, her mother once told her: "Always be strong. Don't show weakness around those whom you do not trust. Weakness is used to the evils' advantage Elendil. Never ever give someone the satisfaction of taking advantage of you. Ever." That is exactly what Elendil would do. She would be strong. She knew no one in Rivendell would ever do such a thing to her, but she couldn't open up about this. How could she talk to anyone about this? She could barely understand her own feelings, let alone tell someone else, but it didn't matter. When she sat behind the waterfall, she felt their presence and knew they were watching over her.
She began to miss her parents even more, the realization hit that she would never ever see them again in her lifetime. Never again was she going to see their face, smell their scents, and hear their voice. They were gone forever, and until she vanished from this world, she would never see them until she died and was summoned to the Halls of Mandos by Mandos himself, but until then, she would live her immortal life without parents. Amid the thoughts that filled her mind, there was one nagging thought: she was now an orphan. The more she thought of it, the more frightened she got. Where would she go? Who would she turn to? Will she ever be able to live a normal life? Sitting in that spot right there, those questions seemed irrelevant to her. The only people she trusted in this world were now gone. They left her alone in the world to fend for herself, to learn lessons without their voices teaching her, to chose her own path in life and stick to it. They left her. and they would never return to save her. She slung her legs into the pond, looking through the clear water to her toes. Slender, strong, free of any cuts and bruises. She admired her own legs as if she were someone detached from her body. As if it wasn't even her talking. She felt disconnected from herself, and slowly she began to slip into the state of unknowingness. She seemed to float away and she could clearly see herself by the pond behind the waterfall. It was as if she was looking from a tower, staring at a figure who seemed to familiar to her, yet so strange. She stepped into the water, sinking as she fell down to the very bottom of the pool that the falls dumped its' contents in. Her eyes were closed and she felt a warmness creep over her. She could sense her body going down, and her being was screaming for her to return to the surface. But she kept on going down. She kept on going down, relishing the feeling as the water crept past her with speed, but was slow at the same time. She heard the distant hum of the water; she felt the suns' ray cast its light upon her. Her feet were nearing the bottom of the pond, darkness started to take over her, and she welcomed it. It took her away from the mixed feelings her psyche could not comprehend. It was saving her. Her body gave up, and her mind screamed louder then it ever did in her life.
A loud scream pierced through Elronds' head. "Help!" He snapped his neck down to the waterfall. There was no sound coming out from around him but the splash of the falls, but in his head he heard her scream. He had been scanning the lake that was centered in Rivendell ever since she jumped. It was the most unexpected thing Elrond had witnessed all these years. Elendil never did anything stupid, or anything that would cause a stir in the public eye. Which made sense because there was no one around to witness her fall. He screamed after her when she jumped, but there was nothing he could do about it, and he had asked several elves to look for her, and so far, there was no luck. That was until he heard the scream in his mind. Never before had he heard such terror in a voice. He didn't know that Elendil possessed such a talent that could cross the threshold into his mind. Yet in such times, no one can predict what a person would do. When one believes in thoughts that consist of things they could never speak of, they commit actions that they could never imagine themselves doing when logic is present. "Ëoland! Follow me!" he called to a nearby elf. Down Elrond went, down the stairs, through the garden, past the vast pillars of his realm. All of this ran past him, a swirl of colours and sounds, which made no sense to him as the voice grew louder, and louder in his mind. Hold on Tee, for the love of God hold on! He thought, his feet carrying him through the shrubs faster and faster. "Ëoland, hurry!" he called out as he ran further and further down, nearing the waterfall. They sounds of the splashing water was now making him uneasy. If she disappeared under that, there was barely any hope that she would still be alive. Elrond wasn't sure if it was an intention to try to drown herself. The waterfall would be the best place to do it; she loved the waterfall more then anything else in Rivendell. Most of the time she would sit on the bridge and just watch the water rush down. But if that is where she wanted to end her life, it would be the most cruel, heartless thing to do to all those who loved her and cared about her. "Ëoland." He said to the elf beside him who was now in the area behind the pond. Elrond looked over the edge of the sparkling white platform. "HELP! ELROND HELP!" Her voice grew painfully louder and with more agony in his head then it had before. "Ëoland," he said indicating to the elf to look down under the water. "O my god." he whispered. Elendil was down at the bottom of the pond, her body sprawled along the floor of the lake, her clothes were floating above her, and a single ray of light shone directly on her, making her bright and almost blinding to look at. Her hair was floating above her, spread out. She looked so peaceful down there. "Get her out of there!" Elrond shouted. Fear was growing steadily in his heart as Ëoland dove into the lake, going down farther and farther. His eyes were fixed on the action under the water, the sun was shining so brightly it almost blinded him, but he kept on looking. Elendil let out a last painful scream. He was breathing hard now, anticipating another scream. But none came, instead a soft voice now, "Help.I feel so light.Help..Hel." She was leaving, she was going, and she couldn't wait any longer. Elronds' breaths now came out harder, shorter, and his mind was starting to swirl. She couldn't die. She couldn't. She was all he had left; a life like hers could not be taken away from her. She had too much in her future to leave. Her start may be rough, but that didn't mean that her whole life would be like that. Ëoland was now kicking his way back up with Elendil on his back. As he got within reaching distance, Elrond helped him up and he softly placed Elendil down on the platform. Elrond immediately got on his knees beside her. Slowly, gathering his strength, he began to heal her. She was in pretty deep. Slowly, she began to come around; coughing up water and a little moan that escaped her lips put Elrond into a little more ease. "Thank you Ëoland." He said to the soaked elf standing beside him with concern on his face. Ëoland nodded, water dripping from his blonde hair "Is she okay?" he asked. "Yea, she's going to be alright." He said softly looking down at her face. Her hair was matted against her face, and her dress was plastered so tightly around her body Elrond was amazed that it didn't kill her. Picking up her limp body, Elrond walked slowly back up to her room. A great many elves stopped to look as he walked by carrying his niece in his arms. Placing her on the bed, he sat on her bed beside her and tears unexpectedly started to fall down his cheeks. He saved her once, but if she had the thought in her mind and the will to carry it through, then he was not in danger of losing her again; he was in danger of more elaborate plans to kill herself. He would have to fight her if she decided to do it again, and while he couldn't bear the thought of her hating him, he would rather that then for her to be gone, so that no one would hate him for trying to save their lives. Tee, when you wake up, please, please love me more then you hate me. Elendil's eyes snapped open, "What.happened.?" she muttered, her head felt groggy, her vision was blurry and fuzzy shapes blinded her sight. White patches here and there, everything seemed so bright. Slowly, and quite painfully she moved to the edge of the large bed. No sooner had her feet touched the cold ground, waves of images flashed across her mind. Falling. Water. Cold. Wet. White. Moth. Sinking. Falling. She immediately got up from the bed, trying to remember everything that happened. Those moments when she was falling, she didn't remember anything else. Gingerly she walked across the cold hard floor of what her eyes allowed her to see was her room. Her vision returned to normal, no not normal. It was clearer then it was before, her eyes saw past the trees, past the waterfall, past the other side of the Realm. She shook her head slightly, as if it was a figment of her imagination. It wasn't. "O man." she mumbled. On shaky feet, she slowly made her way down to the waterfall where her last memories existed. When she finally reached the cave-like platform behind the falls, she sat down in the middle, soaking in the suns rays that were warming her body. Thoughts sinking into her mind, she couldn't remember who pulled her out of that lake, or who found her. The day that she found out that her parents were dead seemed like weeks ago. Whoever did save her she was grateful to; she only hoped that they were still around for her to at least thank them. "Elendil!" someone called. "Coming!" she replied, picking up the front of her rosy-pink dress and walked back to the direction of the voice. Her steps were now a little sturdier, and the voice she noticed, still rang clear in her ears. She noticed on her way through the gardens that her hearing seemed to be sharper too, and she heard the faintest of noises. She shrugged it off, it's probably because you haven't seen or heard anything in such a long time. She thought with a smirk on her face.
Stepping up the steps she walked alongside the beautifully carved fence that contained a vast room filled with candles. A few feet away from her Ciron, one of the guarding elves of Rivendell had a huge look of relief on his face. "Ciron?" she asked with a puzzled expression on her face. He looked like he just saw Sauron. "Ciron!" she said again a little louder, which snapped him back into the present. "Arwenamin3," he whispered slowly. "Oio naa elealla alasse'.4" he finished, his voice slightly louder. "Diola lle." She thanked him with a slight questioning suspicion. "Is everything ok?" she asked taking a step closer to him. "Yes, yes, everything is fine M'Lady." He answered. As he did, Elendil noticed his eyes start to water. Quickly noticing it, he wiped the backside of his hand under his eyes. "Are you sure about that?" she pressed, brow wrinkling slightly in question. "Yes." He answered with a steadier voice. "Alright." She replied, not entirely satisfied with his answer. "Elendil." She looked up. "Ciron." "I'm sorry." "It's ok, seriously. I know I push sometimes and it's really annoying but-" "It's not that, you're not annoying." "Ok great, so what are you-" "I'm sorry about your parents." "Oh." Just then, Elrond appeared from around the corner. Elendil knew he was coming for quite a while, she had felt it and she had heard his soft steps. Ciron turned around to leave but much to Elendils' surprise stopped him, "Let me tell her first." He spoke softy. Elendil heard this too, even though it was whispered into his ear. She wondered if she was going to carry on hearing everything within 5 leagues from her for the rest of her life. Elrond then turned to her, "Elendil," he started. At the sound of her full name, a cold sweat started to break out in Elendil. He never called her by her first name, not since three months ago, not since...not since her parents died. "Elendil, do you recall what happened after the news?" Elendil shook her head. "You nearly died." He told her a little harsher then usual, speaking through clenched teeth. Elendil stared at him: she nearly died? Why couldn't she remember something like that? If she nearly died, surely she should remember, but no matter how hard she tried, she could only remember being the cave-like area behind the waterfall. "You nearly died Elendil." He repeated, stamping the phrase into her head. "You would have been beyond-" he stopped himself, looking down his eyes darting from side to side as if he was reconsidering what he was going to say. "You would have been dead if it wasn't for Ciron who dove in after you and returned you to the surface." He stated. Elendil averted her eyes from Elrond to the elf beside him, who was growing pink with embarrassment. Still in shock from the news, she promptly walked over to Ciron and gave him a warm hug. "Thank-you." He nodded and quietly slipped away when she released him. "Thank-you Elrond." She said to him and turned away to retreat to her room. "Elendil." With a small oh-no sigh, she stopped walking, her back still turned to him. "Where are you going?" "To my room." She heard Elrond walk up behind her, and suddenly she felt awkward around him; like a stranger who was trying to make polite conversation. "Elendil, look at me." Slowly turning around, she turned around looking him straight in the eye. "Yes?" "Since you have no memory of what happened to you on the day of your parents' death, I will tell you." he started walking in the direction that Ciron went and she quietly followed. "I know the outcome Master Elrond, and that's all that matters." At her words, she could feel him tensing. She now felt more out of place, more distant from him. Looking at him, she wondered how she ever got close to him. He was Master Elrond, one of the greatest Elves in Middle-earth. Born in the first Age he knew and saw so much. He was the owner of the Great Ring, Vilya. He made the Fellowship, he held the council of Elrond. He was power, great, respected and admired by all. She was nothing compared to him. Nothing at all. She possessed no great power, wasn't as lucky in friends as he was, and most people probably had no idea who she was. "That's not all that matters Elendil." He said softly. "What else matters? I'm alive, Ciron saved me and here I am! Alive and well." She said with an edge creeping into her voice. He said nothing, and she turned to leave. She didn't even belong here. She didn't belong anywhere now. She was a loner, an outcast who had no place to live. "Elendil!" Elrond said sharply. She whirled around, "What?" she spat, now growing tired of the fact that Elrond cared that she was still alive. He probably wished that Ciron didn't save her. Elrond stood still, a flicker of surprise and hurt in his eyes. "Why are you speaking to me like this?" "Why?" she began, emotions now running wildly through her veins. "You want to know why?" He nodded. "Then tell me why all of a sudden you start calling me by my real name, and why all of a sudden you're talking to me as if I committed a terrible crime and why it seems to effect you so much. Tell me why you look at me as if you can't believe I'm here, tell my why you talk to me as if I haven't been here all my life. Tell my why you say that the fact that I'm here isn't all that matters. Tell my why I'm even here in the first place! Tell me why you suddenly seem so distant from me and why you need to tell me that I almost died. Do you want me to die? I could go right now and do the same thing I did before. Do you even want me here? Do you even want to look at me? It seems like it's such a burden to you that you're talking to me let alone looking at me. When I saw you back there you looked as if you didn't expect me to be here. Maybe that's what you want. Maybe you didn't even want Ciron to save me and you wanted me to die however I was going to die. You probably didn't even want me saved. Why I'm here right now I don't know. Why I'm alive I don't know, why you haven't kicked me out of Rivendell I don't know. What I do know is that my parents died on my birthday, they left me here to fend for myself when no one wants me around. I'll tell you why I'm speaking to you like this. I'm speaking to you like this because nothing makes sense right now, and no one probably wants an orphan. You know what? I wish Ciron did leave me to die, and when he found me, if he's the one that did, that he just saved me from agony and just left me there." Elrond looked horrified, scared, and shocked at the same time. "Agony.?" "Yes agony. Life, not having a home, not having parents, not having anyone in this world that I trust and not having anyone in this world who cares about me. It doesn't matter for you, everyone knows you, and people care about you. But no one cares about me! No one knows I'm alive; it would have been so much easier for you if I had just died! You wouldn't have to deal with me! That's why I said you probably hate the person who saved me!" Elendil didn't notice, but there were tears streaming down her face, her brown eyes were rimmed with red, and there were teardrops on her dress. Elrond didn't look shocked anymore, instead he looked sad. As if her tears were about to run to him. "Is that what you really think?" Elendil didn't need to answer that, because Elrond knew the answer. She stared at him, almost daring him to say anything to her. She just spilled it all out. Everything she was thinking, he now knew, and the tears that were in her eyes started to overfill. "Tee," Elrond began quietly, "You did commit a terrible crime, you tried to kill yourself." "I figured that from what you've told me. What I don't get is how it affects you." Elrond sighed and a dark cloud seemed to pass. "Why wouldn't it affect me?" "You're Elrond, you don't need me here. I'm nothing but a thorn in your back." "I do need you," he said more to himself then to her. "You said that all that really matters is that you're here, and to an extent you're right. Before you were born, I was in emotional pain. I was depressed and I couldn't cope. When you came, it all disappeared. I felt better, the emotions that were eating me up inside where gone. It was as if you saved me from such a feeling. You came and it went. If you died, I wouldn't be able to handle it very well. It's not just for me, but you're my niece, and for the past three months I've grown to like you quite a bit." Elendil stifled a laugh at his last comment. "Elves I like I don't want to vanish from this world." She looked up at him, and very faintly she could make out a tear coming over the edge. "I would never, ever want you to die. Ever. And it pains me to look at you because every time I do I think of what could have happened if I didn't find you on time." "You were the one that found me?" "Yes I was. I heard you screaming, but it was just your mind. I don't know why it happened by it did. I found you and Ciron dove down to get you at my command. You were so close to leaving Tee.just a few more minutes and you would've been beyond my reach." Tears were slipping down his face now. "I was afraid you'd hate me, and right now I think you do. I know it's painful, but people do care for you, and they do know who you are. You're Elendil Alcawen, her people's Ray of Light. You are known to everyone." "I may be known to everyone, but who wants to raise such a girl?" "I do." At those words, Elendil snapped her head to face him. "I do, and that's why I haven't banished you. I never would. I would rather go through the challenge of raising you, then to go through the challenge of not having you around." On impulse, she wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug. "Thank-you. Thank-you for saving me, and thank-you for going through the burden of raising me." Elrond smiled, "it's no burden Tee, you're not like most that I've met." Elendil laughed, "Thank-you!" Abruptly, she stopped. "There's one thing, everything seems a lot more clearer now. Both my sight and my hearing. I can see past so much in front of me and I can hear almost everything around me. Like when you were coming around the corner, I knew you were coming because I heard your footsteps." He seemed to consider this, "Well that is what happens when you are a few minutes away from death." She smiled; it's nice to know you get something from almost dying. "Well, since you have been asleep for six days, this is a little late, but nonetheless I still wish to give it to you." he held out a small velvet-green pouch. "Happy Birthday." "Thanks." Untying the strings, she emptied the contents of the pouch into her palm, and out fell a necklace. Picking it up she saw that the pendant was a silver _____ leaf. It was outlined in sparkling diamonds and it glittered like nothing she had ever seen. "Thank-you so much!" she breathed as she put it on. Again, she wrapped her arms around him, not taking him by surprise this time. "Lle creoso.5" he smiled, letting her go. Looking down at her pendant Elendil smiled, but suddenly her ears perked up and she heard the sound of footsteps again. Slow, soft, but she heard them. Sensing her sudden change in moods, Elrond looked up to find no one around them. "Tee?" "Shh!" she quietly said. Elrond looked a little suspicious, but did as she bid. Hearing the footsteps louder behind her, she picked up a stone off the floor by her feet and grasped it tightly. The steps were slowing down, one step.and another. Silence. Her grip tightened on the rock, if that was possible, and her breath was held inside her. She heard the crack of a leaf and Elrond snapped his head in that direction. She didn't wait any longer, gearing her arm back she only hesitated for a second before she flung the rock in the direction of the noise. The rock whipped through the wind and in a matter of seconds hit the culprit with a deafening 'thuck'. Elrond immediately got up from the bench and briskly walked over to the resting ground of the rock, and Elendil followed suit. "Ciron!" Elrond exclaimed once he realized whom the victim was. Unfortunately by the time Elrond found out, the rock had already hit him squarely on the forehead. "Are you okay?" Rubbing his head at a rather alarming rate, he nodded his head, "Who, my I ask, threw that Master Elrond?" Elrond looked around as if he didn't know the answer. "Elrond, who threw that painfully hard stone at my head and how did they know I was coming?" Behind him, Ciron heard laughter which was getting louder and louder by the second. Elrond ducked his head so that Ciron couldn't see the laughter in his eyes. Elendil emerged with an even louder laugh if possible, her eyes were dancing and every time she looked at Ciron, another wave of giggles seemed to take over her. "What is so funny?" he asked scowling at the sight of Elendils' laughter and Elronds' who seemed to give up holding it back. Elrond backed up and stood behind his niece, still laughing. "Do you want to know who threw that rock at you?" Elendil asked in- between giggles. Looking impatient, Ciron got up with the help of one arm, the other one still furiously rubbing his forehead, which now turned to the colour of a bright rose. He picked up the rock with the other hand and thrust it in front of Elendils' face. "Who. Threw. This?" he asked slowly between gritted teeth and that only caused Elendil to laugh even more. "You think it's funny do you?" he asked angrily. "Yea actually I do." "Do you?" "Yep." Ciron threw the rock to the ground, "This isn't funny. Now who threw it at me?" Elendil mumbled something under her breath. "What?" "I did." She repeated, her eyes dancing with laughter. Ciron somehow managed to stop rubbing his head. "You did it?" he asked, his hand stuck on top of his forehead. He seemed to consider this, then after a while started to laugh himself. "You! You threw this rock at me. Right Elendil, right." Elendil looked insulted. Her laughter broke off completely. "You don't believe me do you?" she asked with a slightly humorous tone. Ciron shook his head, resuming to his forehead rubbing. "If you can aim that well then we should have you fighting and guarding these lands. You didn't even see me, it was just a lucky hit." Smirking, she picked up a rock off the ground. "Pick a spot." She told him bluntly. "What?" "Pick a spot. If I hit it, then you'll believe that I can hit bull's-eye. Okay?" she asked her voice surprisingly calm. Her eyes scanned her surroundings and it landed on the medium-sized figure on the very tip of the hall about twenty-five eagle wingspans long. The figure had a hole in the middle of it, and that was a perfect target. Cirons' eyes flickered back and forth; Elendil closed her eyes and hoped he didn't pick that target. If she missed, Elrond would never forgive her for it. "That one. That tree over there." He said. Elendil let out a whoosh of air and got ready to fire. Ready and- "Wait," Ciron stopped her, holding back her arm. Looking back at Elrond, he smiled devilishly. "That one, that figure atop the hall." Elendil looked over at him as if she could do some more serious harm to that forehead of his. "Ciron, that's a little far don't you think? If I break it then that's not going to be a pretty sight." Ciron smiled again. "But you won't break it will you? You'll get it through won't you?" She glanced at Elrond who was now staring at her with such a deadly stare that she was about to back down from her own proposition. Ciron seemed to see this and decided to make a proposition of his own, "You can either throw the rock, or you can shoot this arrow. Either one, it's you're choice." Elendil considered this, but didn't need much time to say she'd take the bow. The arrow would do less damage then a rock would, so there was one advantage. The major disadvantage however, was that she'd never touched a bow in her life. Of all the One-Hundred and seventy years she's been on this earth, she had never touched a bow and arrow. Copying what she always saw Ciron do, she picked up the bow with shaky hands, and hoped that Ciron didn't notice. Raising the pair, she moved them to the target. She could feel the vibration of her hand even though it was only a few inches away from her ear. Slightly raising her left arm, which was extended forward, she pointed the arrow so it was directly between the openings of the figure. Taking a deep breath, she released the arrow. It all happened in slow motion to her, she let it go and she saw it shoot out flying in between the leaves and branches on its way to the target. Like a silent deadly arrow, it traveled straight towards the mark. Elendils' eyes followed the arrow and she held her breath, going, going, going.through. She let her breath go. Turned around to face Ciron with a brilliant smile on her face. "Well, maybe my eyes deceived me, but it looked like the arrow went through the hoop. What do you say?" she asked happily. "That." he trailed off, baffled. He wasn't smirking or pretending it was a job well done, he we completely amazed. He looked at her as if he was about to say something, but nothing came out. "You've never." Elendil smiled, "Nope, that was my first time. Beginners luck I suppose." She said handing the bow back to Ciron. Ciron looked at her again, "Come." He said to her quickly, and he ran down the stairs. Elrond and Elendil followed closely behind, both wondering where he was leading them. After running down a few flight of stairs, they came to a halt. They were at the Shooting Hills; a spot elevated some fifteen meters above the rest of Rivendell. The elves shot there, for fun, reasons or vent their emotions. Flat and covered with lush green grass, the targets were spread everywhere around them. "Here," Ciron said thrusting her a bow and arrow. "See that target over there? Hit it." Quite bewildered at what Ciron was trying to prove, she loaded the arrow and pointed at the target. The sound of the wind whispered in her ears. Looking straight down the arrow, she let it go. Thuck. Bulls'-eye. "Next one, where I get my arrow, you follow suit. Understand?" he asked rather hastily. She nodded, taking the bow and arrow into her hands. Cleanly, Ciron pulled out an arrow, loaded, aimed, fired, and true to her expectations hit bulls'-eye. Copying his actions, she aimed, and fired. His arrow spilt in two.
Now both Elrond and Ciron looked at Elendil with wonder and amazement. "What?" she asked looking at the two elves whose eyes seemed to be held open at this point. Still not getting an answer to her question, she decided to go for facts, "All Silvan elves have remarkable aim. You said so yourself Elrond, so what's so interesting?" Ciron shook himself out of stupor before Elrond did and told her to wait where she was and that he'd be back in a second. Elrond was still staring at her as if he was frozen in time. He looked as if he was deep in thought at the same time, never taking his eyes off of hers. At this point, Elendil was getting a little nervous as she realized he hadn't said a word to her since she shot her first arrow. Ciron came running back, and much to Elendil's surprise he had a sword in his hand. She almost laughed when she was it. It wasn't that it was ugly, in fact is a quite beautiful, but she had no time to watch him play around with a sword. "That's a nice sword you have there Kee." She told him as he approached her bringing a nice breeze along with him. He nodded enthusiastically, "It is, it was my first sword and I always loved it." He said running his fingers down the edge of the sword. The sword had no design that Elendil could see, if it did it was simple and worn out. The hilt was simply designed also, with a single vine wrapping the bar. "Here, hold this." He thrust it into her hands and ran down a few feet from her. "Where are you going?" she called out to him still holding the sword in her right hand. "Right here!" he called back, removing something from a pouch secured on his waist. Seeing that it was a pebble, she saw him look at if for a moment, and in the blink of an eye the stone was hurling towards her. Taken by surprise at his sudden actions her first instinct was the raise her hand to protect herself. In her reflective action, she forgot that her hand was holding a sword and since she had no time to let it go, she stuck the sword in front of her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and promptly heard a 'cling'. Opening her eyes she immediately dropped the sword and marched over to Ciron. "What are you doing?! Are you out of your mind? Why did you throw a rock at me?" she asked him, actually it was more of an accusation then a question. Ciron wasn't paying her any attention; instead he walked past her and ran to the spot where she was standing picking up the stone. "Look! Elendil come look at this!" he called, his hand waving back and forth gesturing for her to come. Sighing, she walked back over to him yet again. "I don't want to see a rock. I saw it quite clearly when you threw it to me, or maybe you don't believe me. Would you like me to aim a rock at your face?" she asked with exasperation. Much to her surprise he answered yes. "Are you crazy?" she called out to him as his ran back yet again to his previous standing spot. "Is this your idea for fun? Because if it is, I have a lot less dangerous ideas in my head!" Ciron was so eager for her to throw a stone at him that she thought that he must have just wanted to answer yes to her question. "I'm not throwing it at you!" "Yes you are! Throw it!" "No!" "Yes!" "No!" "Throw it!" "No!" "Throw the stupid rock! If it lands in front of you then you can throw something else!" She threw it straight at him, and it ended with the same 'cling' on the sword as hers had. "There! I threw the stupid rock now can we play some other game that doesn't involve a possible death?" she asked him with aggravation. Again he walked right past her and picked up two things. He came back with his hands open. "Look, look!" he told her enthusiastically. "Look! Look! It's a pebble! Oh isn't that amazing?" she asked sarcastically. "No, it's not that. See this rock on this hand?" he asked raising up his right hand slightly. "Yea, it's a pebble." She responded. "Yea, but this one's chipped, see?" he asked as her eyes scanned the rock up and down witnessing its rough and damaged edges. "Look at this one." He said doing the same gesture with his left hand as he did with the right. "Yea, it's another pebble." She said, placing her hands on her slender hips. "Stop being so sarcastic would you?" he asked. "Anyways, this pebble is split in two, the other one isn't." he whispered as if he was telling a secret. At this, Elrond walked over to them and Ciron moved aside and showed him the pebbles in his hand. Elendil sighed yet again, growing tired and annoyed. She had no idea why she was doing this, and no one was bothering to tell her, and she found that quite rude. "Okay, that's great! Now can someone please tell me what is going on?" she requested. Ciron was happy to tell her, as she expected he would. "Alright, guess which one hit you." he told her. Fabulous, now we're playing guess-which-pebble-hit-you, she thought sarcastically. "I don't know, but then again does it really matter?" "Yes! Now answer the question." "The chipped one." "Why?" "Why what?" she asked with irritation. "Why do you think that that pebble hit you?" he asked her, handing the pebbles over to Elrond who pocketed them in his garments. "I just do, I don't know. Why are you asking me this anyways?" "Think! Why do you think you hit the chipped pebble?" "I just do!" she screamed at him, her patience was running out, and he was getting more and more annoying. This didn't seem to satisfy him. "Because there is no way that I could cut a pebble in half." Now he seemed to be more excited then he was before she answered him. "Why?" That last statement pushed her over the edge, "Why are you so annoying? Why did you drag me up here only to throw something at my face? I don't think I'd be able to cut the damn pebble in half because that was the first time I've ever picked up a sword and you've been using them since you were born!" she shouted, this time she walked right past him. "Wait! Come back here!" he called after her. She kept on walking. She couldn't stand his questions. Who knew that a person who saved your life would be so annoying? "Elendil." She stopped, not because it was her real name that he used, but the fact that he actually spoke. She turned around and came face to face with Ciron. "You were the one who cut the pebble in half!" he announced. He looked as if he was just declared king. She was slightly taken aback, "Okay." "Isn't that amazing?" "No, it was probably just a coincidence." Ciron shook his head, "No, no, no." and he thrust the sword back into her hands. "Stay there!" From a farther distance then he was before, he picked up a pebble from his pouch and threw it at her. Again she held the sword up to protect her. She stuck it in front of her face, the sword on a horizontal with her right arm stuck straight out. Cling. She picked up the pebble, and sure enough it was split in two. "Okay, well I don't see what the big deal is anyway. You can do it too." "No, no I can't. That's why it's so cool that you can! You're amazing! None of the elves here can split a flying pebble in two." "Elrond can." "None of the elves here can split a flying pebble in two." She looked at Elrond, but he said nothing, nor did he show any gestures. "Okay, so I can. Well maybe I was lucky twice in a row. Who knows? Besides does it really matter?" Ciron laughed, "Well it may not matter much to you, but it does to me. No one around here can do what I just saw you do two times in a row. It's pretty interesting. I'm going to tell someone about this!" he replied taking off down the stairs with his sword. "Ciron. You are not telling anyone." Elrond spoke. Stopping at the top of the stairs, Cirons' voice came, "Yes Master Elrond." And proceeded down the stairs with less enthusiasm then he had before. Elendil laughed, suddenly feeling more thankful then before that she was still alive and well. Overcome by a sudden urge to just live her life, she looked over at Elrond, who seemed to be thinking about something. Like always he had something on his mind, and during those times, he never wanted to be disturbed. Well too bad for him, because that was exactly what she was going to do. "Elrond!" she called and he looked up. "Thank-you for saving me! It feels really good to be here right now, even though previous events speak otherwise." She ran over to him and stopped by his feet. He looked a little less peeved then he normally would when someone disturbed him. "You're welcome." He replied. But his voice was distant, as if he didn't want her there at the moment. She understood, so she smiled a half-smile and turned to go. But something kept her there, there was a little nagging feeling telling her to do something but she couldn't figure it out. She turned back around to face him to see him looking at her with curiosity. She turned to go again but something was telling her to stop and look back. That she did. Then as if something had snapped in her, she found herself rushing back to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek. Finally feeling completed, she ran down to the waterfall. Sitting by the 'cave' behind the waterfall, she had yet another sudden urge run to the top of the waterfall, but obviously she didn't do it since the top of the falls were too far for her want to go. It was the biggest waterfall in Rivendell that she completely loved, it was good because there the water came down the hardest, the sun shone the brightest, and it was closest to her bedroom window. The bad thing was the top was too far up for her to go to. Sitting there, she was suddenly in the mood for song, she thought of Elrond, and how her life would be in shambles, well actually she wouldn't have a life to have in shambles. Now that he had given her a second chance, she felt so . blessed, and she began to sing:
When I think how life was going to be
Always walking in the shadows
Then I look at what you've given me
I feel like dancing on my tiptoes
I must say when I awoke
and realized you're by my side
I know I'm truly...
Blessed for everything you've given me
Blessed for all the tenderness you show
Do my best with every breath that's in me
Blessed to make sure you never go
There are times that test your faith
'Til you think you might surrender
I'm not ashamed to say that
my hopes were growing slender
You walked by in the knick of time
looking like an answered prayer
You know I'm truly...
Blessed for everything you've given me
Blessed for all the tenderness you show
Do my best with every breath that's in me
Blessed to make sure you never go
Blessed with love and understanding
Blessed when I hear you call my name
I'll do my best with faith that's never ending
Blessed to make sure you feel the same*
At the end of the song, she was surprised that she'd just sang modern song. Most races on Middle-earth sang only songs of the old. Modern song was difficult, having to make up the song yourself as you sang. She went through the song in her head again, and smiled to herself as she came to the conclusion that she had sang her very first Modern song, and she was going to call it Blessed, a song that was inspired by her own near-death and Elrond saving her. Standing behind the waterfall, she did feel blessed, and wanted to tell Elrond quite soon that she had just sand Modern song that was inspired by her near-death and him saving her. Quite suddenly, Ciron appeared out of nowhere, "Aha!" he jumped in front of her "Found you!" Elendil laughed, "I wasn't aware I was supposed to be hiding from you." she told him. Ciron smiled, "It's good to see you like this." He told her. "Like what?" "Like yourself, vivacious, open, sarcastic, and funny. I missed it for a little while." He told her openly. Elendil smiled, she didn't think for a moment that she would be missed if she weren't in Rivendell. It felt good to be missed though, and she was thankful that he was so open with her. "Well thank-you. I just never realized that I was sarcastic." Ciron looked dumbfounded, "Not sarcastic? Are you out of your mind Elendil? You're possibly the most sarcastic elf in this world and when I say that I-" he looked over at her, who had a huge smile on her face. "You were saying?" "Alright, you asked for it!" and with that he lunged at her and she fell back into the water. "Ha! Look who's all wet!" he laughed at her, but before he knew it she had already pulled him into the water. "Now look who's all wet!" she screamed happily. "That's it, you're going down." And with his last words he pushed her under, but she was too quick. She had already slipped out of his grasp. "You going to have to catch me first!" and she dove back under the water.
~*~
----------------------- [1] Good Morning 2 What is it? 3 My Lady (Familiar) 4 Ever is thy sight a joy 5 You're Welcome * Blessed -Christina Aguilera
300 Leagues away from the Battlefield in Rivendell, Elendil Alcawen awoke with a start, sweat slightly outlining her hairline. It was still dark outside, and the outline of her favourite spot behind the waterfall could barely be seen. Through her window she could hear the water splash as it reached the bottom of its escape route filling the pond with fresh water. The water soon turned red, bubbling and sticky. her eyes snapped open again. It was a dream, only a dream. Her parents weren't dead; they were coming back this morning actually. This morning, this morning was also her birthday!
"My birthday. Isn't that great? And I can't even sleep in." she muttered to herself sitting upright I her bed smoothing out the white blankets on both sides of her slender legs.
She stopped. "Great now I'm talking to myself." Resolving to stop the insanity, she slipped out of her covers that caused her to jump a bit, feeling the coolness of the ground.
Making her way out of her room, she walked barefoot down to the garden. Her father was always telling her to put on shoes, but she never found a need for them, especially when there was the soft grass to cushion your feet from anything harmful. The sun was starting to stir and the morning rays of light started creeping into the hidden realm of Rivendell.
The garden was beautiful, and the flowers always reminded her of beauty and innocence. She was always sad to see flowers die and diminish. So naturally, when she thought a flower was going to die, she surrounded it with new seeds so more would grow in its place and she would forget about it.
The sun was now creeping even further into her home, and that meant that her birthday would be over even sooner then she expected. So she would make every moment count.
She ran from the garden swiftly up to her Uncles room and peeked inside. Much to her surprise, he was already awake. She stepped into the room and no sooner had she done so, felt as though there was something wrong. Coldness swept through her and for a moment she felt her eyes close again and the image that was in her dream was playing vividly in her mind. Killing, blood, screams of horror and pain. Dead bodies, red-stained swords and ugly Orc-heads swam in her mind. She could smell the bitter smell of blood, taste the flesh with her tongue, and she felt like her hands were upon the surface of an Urúk-Hai, the rough, slimy, lumpy surface of their skin. Her breath seemed to be cut short, as if she was being held under water. She tried to open her eyes, but they remained shut. She tried to open them with her hands, but they wouldn't budge.
"Tee! Tee! Are you okay?" Elrond asked with worry on his face. "Tee?"
Elendil opened her eyes, her breath coming out in short gasps as her chest moved up and down.
"You okay?" her uncle asked again, squatting down beside her.
Elendil nodded. "How did I get on the ground?"
"You fell down. You were standing by the doorway and you just fell." He told her.
"I fell?"
He nodded; supporting her arms and helping her get up as he guided her to his bed. "What happened?"
"I.I just.my eyes just closed and I saw my dream again, I saw it all so clearly, and I couldn't stop it, I tried to open my eyes and they just wouldn't open and I tried to open them but they stayed closed and I didn't like what I was seeing and I could almost taste blood and I felt like I was just watching something happen and I was trapped and I couldn't do anything about it and I tried to open my eyes but I - "
"Tee." Elrond said gently. "You're saying too much at one time. Slow down." He put a hand on her shoulder, only then did Elendil realize she was shaking audibly. "What was the dream about?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but just couldn't stop shaking. A tear snaked its way down her face, and for a moment, she felt like she had plunged into ice. Elrond sat down beside her and wrapped her in a hug, smoothing her black as midnight hair with his palm.
"It's okay, you're okay, you're fine. Just a bad dream."
"The dream, it seemed so real," she began, grateful for his hug. "I dreamt of mom and dad-"
"You miss them." He said over her head, still smoothing out her hair.
"They were against Orad-Dúr, and they tried to kill him-" her voice grew unsteady.
"You want them to come home, you miss them, and they'll be here soon."
Elendil flung up from his hug, "But they didn't kill him," she said louder, her face now streaked with tears.
"They will, they-"
"No! They failed!"
"Tee."
"They failed Elrond!"
"They didn't -"
"Yes they did!"
"Tee, it was only a dream, they're fine, they didn't fail, they-"
"They died!" she screamed.
That moment all of Rivendell awoke to the sound of trumpets, the fighters of Rivendell had returned.
~*~
Elrond didn't even hear the trumpets blowing outside his grounds. His niece was standing in his room, her slim body visibly trembling in the early morning light. It wasn't exactly right for the occasion. July 14th was not only her birthday, but also today marked the return of her parents.
"Tee." he sighed using his personal nickname for his most beloved niece. Elendil was the only she-elf Elrond had ever met throughout his long years on Middle-Earth who shined brighter then even the stars. "Tiri", bright is what it meant, and his brothers' only daughter and most loved in Rivendell since the departure of Arwen, Elendil was an elf which good things went to. Her heart and spirit were pure, filled with love and peace. She never uttered harmful words or did anything to offend anyone. He only recently called her Tee, and the first time she heard it she laughed like there was no tomorrow. Now it had grown on her, and her real name was no longer a regular part of his vocabulary.
She was sitting on his bed a foot away from him, visibly shaking as if a cold breeze suddenly drifted into the room. The sun was now completely covering Rivendell with it's bright light, and only now did Elrond see the fear in Elendils' eyes. Elendil was never scared. Not of confrontation, not of being proved wrong, not of challenges, not of death nor of those close to her.
"Tee." He said again feeling a sudden darkness upon him as he walked to Elendil. "It was a dream, nothing more. Why are you so scared?"
"It seemed so real.. and it still does." She said shakily as a tear snaked down her cheek. "It was like one of those dreams where it just seems to real to be a dream, and then you wake up and it sort of passes you over, but it never fully leaves you. It just lingers in your thoughts and haunts you and haunts you.. then it happens, and you don't know what to do and you don't know what to say because you feel like you've already experienced the pain which is now deep within your skin." She stopped, her breathing a little short as she tried to catch it. She looked down at the ground with her hair swept on the other side of her face so he could see her. "I'm scared Elrond.. I'm scared.. I've never sensed this before." she said quietly. She looked to her side at him. "Remember when you told me I have a good intuition?" she asked, her eyes staring into his.
"Yes."
"Guess what it's telling me about this dream?"
Elrond said nothing, and held Elendils eyes in place.
"It's not just a dream."
Breath.
Gone.
"Tee."
She said nothing, and her eyes seemed to become glazed over and she just fell against him. "This time you're wrong."
O god please let her be wrong. He thought. Over the past three months that her parents have been away, her and Elrond became closer then they ever were. He was grateful for their relationship, and since Arwens' departure he's come to love her almost as much. She was hesitant at first, but slowly she began to open up to him and he to her. Up until three months ago he never knew how much he didn't know about his niece, or how much his brother didn't know about his daughter.
From the outside Elendil Alcawen looked every bit the lovely lady whom all of Rivendell adored. Bright, charming, lovable, and adventurous, everyone looked upon her to be a Lady. Prim, proper and polite. Even though she was, there was a side of her, which Elrond loved more. It made her more approachable, more like herself when she was around her parents and him. That side of her was outspoken, ambitious, curious about all things that she knew not of, imaginative, funny and independent. She strived to learn and she stopped at nothing to do so. He knew there was a lot more in her then anyone could ever imagine, and he foresaw much power in her. Trusting her intuition was a survival instinct that she actively used, and one that she discovered to be always right.
It was a warm night and Elendil was outside when she thought that something was about to hit her. She kept on walking and tried to ignore the strong feeling inside her, finally when she couldn't handle it anymore she stopped walking. At that exact moment an arrow shot right in front of her face, narrowly missing her and sunk into the tree beside her.
That feeling right now was one that Elrond hoped was wrong. "I'm going down to see Ciron and your parents, and you're coming." He told her as he helped her onto her feet. Her face was streaked with tears, which he told her to wipe.
"I'm not going."
"Why not?"
"Because."
Elrond sighed and commanded her to look at him, "You are coming. You will wipe up your tears and we will walk down to Ciron and we will see your parents. Proving your intuition wrong. Now come on." He turned and walked out of his room. Promptly, he heard Elendil get up off the bed and follow him, as she gathered her pale pink robes, she walked beside Elrond in silence, her feet making no sound as they descended down the steps towards the sounds of the trumpets still blowing in the wind.
Elrond snuck a peek at her out of the corner of his eyes. Her tears were still there.
"Ciron, good morning." Elrond greeted the blonde-haired elf that came to Rivendell only a few years after Elendil was born from Lórien.
" 'Quel amrun[1] Elrond." Ciron greeted him as he came forward, which was a sign for the trumpets to stop playing. He looked behind Elronds' shoulder at Elendil and his eyes fell to the ground between them.
"Ciron, Mani naa ta2?" Elrond asked gently placing one hand on his fellow elfs shoulder.
Ciron again looked over his shoulder at Elendil, and Elrond did the same. As he turned his head around he noticed all the other elves looking at her.
She was looking directly at Elrond; eyes fixed and face blank in expression, which spoke volumes to him.
"Ciron." He said again with more urgency then before.
"Amin hiraetha." he whispered, looking down at the ground. "Elrondor and Enyawen. they fell." he said barely audibly. "Just yesterday Master Elrond, we found them and brought their bodies back." He said pointing behind him down the bridge at two horses with two shapes draped over their backs.
Elrond didn't move. Not a muscle in his body, not a blink of an eye. His brother and sister-in-law were gone. Both who meant so much to him. A brother who was always there from him and vowed to protect him no matter what came his way. A brother who always stayed strong in his eyes, one who always kept his word and was his most trusted companion for the thousands of years that they dwelt upon Middle- Earth. His sister-in-law who treated him like a brother and was his emotional support for years, even before his brother got married to her. She never spoke harshly, except when her loved ones were in danger. She would fight to the death for them without thinking twice. It was Enyawen who brought Elendil into the world, and when she was born, Elronds' emotional distress was washed away. He had greatly felt the absence of Arwen, he had missed the sound of soft feet and the swish of light dresses running around his grounds. For a long while, Rivendell mourned the departure of Arwen to wed Aragorn Elessar, Isildurs' heir to the Reunited Kingdom of the Dúnedain. He felt as though he forgot the sound of a young elf's voice that rang of purity and grace. When Elendil was born on this day on this day in 1714, Elrond never thought that she would be able to ease his pain with her ways. Her personality was exceptionally different from that of Arwen, and her views even more so. There was one thing that she and Arwen both shared: they were cousins. Elendil had yet to know that, but it mattered not. For time would one day come that she would know. "I'm sorry Elrond." Ciron said quietly. This time he didn't look over Elronds shoulder to Elendil, instead he signaled to the horses to come. The horses walked by carrying the bodies on their backs and continued up the path to the gardens. As they did, a thought struck him - Elendil was now without parents. He turned to her as Ciron followed the horses into the hills that lead to their burial ground. He could sense Elendil tensing, but he dared not to turn around. The trumpet players walked in single file behind Ciron and each of them wore no expression on their face, but there was no fooling Elrond. After a while, the last of the trumpet players disappeared behind the hill to the garden. He turned around to face his niece, who was now an orphan. No parents to take care of her and she was only One-Hundred and Sixty- Nine years of age, One Hundred and Seventy today. How would he be able to tell her that she had no parents, would never have parents ever again, whose life now lacked direction and guidance from those who lovingly brought her into his world? How would he be able to tell her all of this, on her birthday? "Elendil," he started, only then did he realize he used her given name. The first time he had since her parents' departure. Looking down at her, he saw realization in her eyes, her body looked as if a huge weight had been cast upon it. The pain he felt for Arwens departure was now many times more in her heart. The recognition that she would never see them again, never run into their arms and hug them, sing with them, laugh with them, and they wouldn't be there for her to cry with. She would now, and for the rest of her immortal life cry alone, devoid of any parental affection and no parents to look up to and astonish. In turn, they would not be there to witness their only daughter; their pride and joy grow up. Her life would have a shadow cast upon it forever, hurt that would sink into her very skin. "Your parents. they have gone to the Halls of Mandos." He said gravely, choking back tears. Her eyes were still fixed on Elrond, unblinking as her figure stood as still as a statue in the morning breeze. She didn't cry, she didn't utter a word, nor did she lash out at Elrond of it not being fair that they were taken from her so early in her life. Instead, her chest started to move up and down, her breath coming out in short gasps. With a blank expression her feet walked toward the edge of the bridge. She stood there looking out to the waterfall that was just West of her bedroom window. "Elendil, I'm sorry. I. I really am." Still motionless, her toes crept over the edge of the bridge, "Not a dream." and she jumped. Her feet flew from beneath her, she could feel the air rushing past her and she could hear the sounds of the waterfall splashing as it went crashing to the ground. A voice seemed to be screaming her name in the distance, somewhere far above her and she could only vaguely make it out and she continued to fall. Her eyes were closed as she heard the sounds of splashing water come closer and she knew she was almost there. Down, down, down she went as if she was floating without a care and a thought. The wind ran through her clothes and hair and she felt like a wild horse running in the wind, her hair flaring up behind her. Suddenly a rush of cold water spread all over her body, but it didn't hurt. Instead it made her feel more alive, the coldness woke her up, and she swam up to the surface of the water. She surfaced to find that she nearly bumped into a rock. A few feet away was the waterfall, the beautiful, clean loud waterfall. Water which could easily drown her, a waterfall which was so lovely and so deadly Elendil almost wanted to cry. Very faintly Elendils' pointy ears could make out the sounds of her name, but she ignored them. Her clothes were wet and stuck against her skin, but she couldn't care less at that moment. She swam towards the waterfall, thank goodness she was a good swimmer, the current from the falls were harder and stronger then they looked from her bedroom window. Reaching the tips of the falls, she dove under the impact of the water and opened her eyes. Suddenly it was a whole new world, the different swishes of blue intertwined with each other and the water sparkled under the rays of the sun. The sounds of the world above surrendered to the peaceful hum of the water. She dove deeper, and deeper realizing the water became warmer the farther down she went. Running out of breath she kicked her way up to the surface, shooting out behind the falls. There was a flat level of white stone, with trees outlining the platform, flowers of each kind grew there, and the ray of the sun spread all around, but mainly in the center. She climbed up, her dress sticking to her still as she sat upon the warm platform of sparking white stone. It's amazing in here. She thought. Behind that waterfall, she felt protected from the world, sheltered from the evil and sadness that surrounded her. The cool breeze that circled her gave her the feeling of life; she was numb, she barely felt the wetness of her clothes. All of a sudden a moth flew around her and landed on her hand. Slowly she raised her hand up to come face-to-face with the dark grey creature. Looking down at the small creature, tears started to flood her eyes, for her father loved these creatures. They grew in time and never hurt anyone, all they did was mind their own business and carry news for others.
"Moths are kind creatures of this world. They never harm others, so in turn you shouldn't harm them. Never hurt a moth Elendil, never hurt a moth." Her fathers' words ran loud and clear in her ears. A tear snuck down her face and fell over the edge of her chin into the water from where she emerged. Her parents were gone, and would never speak of it again. How could she? How could she possibly talk about her parents when they were gone? How could she tell someone that she foretold her parents' death? She couldn't, there was no way. Her parents had always promised her that being their only child, she would be forever filled with their love and that she would never be lonely and they would always be there for her. How could they be there for her now? They would want her to be strong, her mother once told her: "Always be strong. Don't show weakness around those whom you do not trust. Weakness is used to the evils' advantage Elendil. Never ever give someone the satisfaction of taking advantage of you. Ever." That is exactly what Elendil would do. She would be strong. She knew no one in Rivendell would ever do such a thing to her, but she couldn't open up about this. How could she talk to anyone about this? She could barely understand her own feelings, let alone tell someone else, but it didn't matter. When she sat behind the waterfall, she felt their presence and knew they were watching over her.
She began to miss her parents even more, the realization hit that she would never ever see them again in her lifetime. Never again was she going to see their face, smell their scents, and hear their voice. They were gone forever, and until she vanished from this world, she would never see them until she died and was summoned to the Halls of Mandos by Mandos himself, but until then, she would live her immortal life without parents. Amid the thoughts that filled her mind, there was one nagging thought: she was now an orphan. The more she thought of it, the more frightened she got. Where would she go? Who would she turn to? Will she ever be able to live a normal life? Sitting in that spot right there, those questions seemed irrelevant to her. The only people she trusted in this world were now gone. They left her alone in the world to fend for herself, to learn lessons without their voices teaching her, to chose her own path in life and stick to it. They left her. and they would never return to save her. She slung her legs into the pond, looking through the clear water to her toes. Slender, strong, free of any cuts and bruises. She admired her own legs as if she were someone detached from her body. As if it wasn't even her talking. She felt disconnected from herself, and slowly she began to slip into the state of unknowingness. She seemed to float away and she could clearly see herself by the pond behind the waterfall. It was as if she was looking from a tower, staring at a figure who seemed to familiar to her, yet so strange. She stepped into the water, sinking as she fell down to the very bottom of the pool that the falls dumped its' contents in. Her eyes were closed and she felt a warmness creep over her. She could sense her body going down, and her being was screaming for her to return to the surface. But she kept on going down. She kept on going down, relishing the feeling as the water crept past her with speed, but was slow at the same time. She heard the distant hum of the water; she felt the suns' ray cast its light upon her. Her feet were nearing the bottom of the pond, darkness started to take over her, and she welcomed it. It took her away from the mixed feelings her psyche could not comprehend. It was saving her. Her body gave up, and her mind screamed louder then it ever did in her life.
A loud scream pierced through Elronds' head. "Help!" He snapped his neck down to the waterfall. There was no sound coming out from around him but the splash of the falls, but in his head he heard her scream. He had been scanning the lake that was centered in Rivendell ever since she jumped. It was the most unexpected thing Elrond had witnessed all these years. Elendil never did anything stupid, or anything that would cause a stir in the public eye. Which made sense because there was no one around to witness her fall. He screamed after her when she jumped, but there was nothing he could do about it, and he had asked several elves to look for her, and so far, there was no luck. That was until he heard the scream in his mind. Never before had he heard such terror in a voice. He didn't know that Elendil possessed such a talent that could cross the threshold into his mind. Yet in such times, no one can predict what a person would do. When one believes in thoughts that consist of things they could never speak of, they commit actions that they could never imagine themselves doing when logic is present. "Ëoland! Follow me!" he called to a nearby elf. Down Elrond went, down the stairs, through the garden, past the vast pillars of his realm. All of this ran past him, a swirl of colours and sounds, which made no sense to him as the voice grew louder, and louder in his mind. Hold on Tee, for the love of God hold on! He thought, his feet carrying him through the shrubs faster and faster. "Ëoland, hurry!" he called out as he ran further and further down, nearing the waterfall. They sounds of the splashing water was now making him uneasy. If she disappeared under that, there was barely any hope that she would still be alive. Elrond wasn't sure if it was an intention to try to drown herself. The waterfall would be the best place to do it; she loved the waterfall more then anything else in Rivendell. Most of the time she would sit on the bridge and just watch the water rush down. But if that is where she wanted to end her life, it would be the most cruel, heartless thing to do to all those who loved her and cared about her. "Ëoland." He said to the elf beside him who was now in the area behind the pond. Elrond looked over the edge of the sparkling white platform. "HELP! ELROND HELP!" Her voice grew painfully louder and with more agony in his head then it had before. "Ëoland," he said indicating to the elf to look down under the water. "O my god." he whispered. Elendil was down at the bottom of the pond, her body sprawled along the floor of the lake, her clothes were floating above her, and a single ray of light shone directly on her, making her bright and almost blinding to look at. Her hair was floating above her, spread out. She looked so peaceful down there. "Get her out of there!" Elrond shouted. Fear was growing steadily in his heart as Ëoland dove into the lake, going down farther and farther. His eyes were fixed on the action under the water, the sun was shining so brightly it almost blinded him, but he kept on looking. Elendil let out a last painful scream. He was breathing hard now, anticipating another scream. But none came, instead a soft voice now, "Help.I feel so light.Help..Hel." She was leaving, she was going, and she couldn't wait any longer. Elronds' breaths now came out harder, shorter, and his mind was starting to swirl. She couldn't die. She couldn't. She was all he had left; a life like hers could not be taken away from her. She had too much in her future to leave. Her start may be rough, but that didn't mean that her whole life would be like that. Ëoland was now kicking his way back up with Elendil on his back. As he got within reaching distance, Elrond helped him up and he softly placed Elendil down on the platform. Elrond immediately got on his knees beside her. Slowly, gathering his strength, he began to heal her. She was in pretty deep. Slowly, she began to come around; coughing up water and a little moan that escaped her lips put Elrond into a little more ease. "Thank you Ëoland." He said to the soaked elf standing beside him with concern on his face. Ëoland nodded, water dripping from his blonde hair "Is she okay?" he asked. "Yea, she's going to be alright." He said softly looking down at her face. Her hair was matted against her face, and her dress was plastered so tightly around her body Elrond was amazed that it didn't kill her. Picking up her limp body, Elrond walked slowly back up to her room. A great many elves stopped to look as he walked by carrying his niece in his arms. Placing her on the bed, he sat on her bed beside her and tears unexpectedly started to fall down his cheeks. He saved her once, but if she had the thought in her mind and the will to carry it through, then he was not in danger of losing her again; he was in danger of more elaborate plans to kill herself. He would have to fight her if she decided to do it again, and while he couldn't bear the thought of her hating him, he would rather that then for her to be gone, so that no one would hate him for trying to save their lives. Tee, when you wake up, please, please love me more then you hate me. Elendil's eyes snapped open, "What.happened.?" she muttered, her head felt groggy, her vision was blurry and fuzzy shapes blinded her sight. White patches here and there, everything seemed so bright. Slowly, and quite painfully she moved to the edge of the large bed. No sooner had her feet touched the cold ground, waves of images flashed across her mind. Falling. Water. Cold. Wet. White. Moth. Sinking. Falling. She immediately got up from the bed, trying to remember everything that happened. Those moments when she was falling, she didn't remember anything else. Gingerly she walked across the cold hard floor of what her eyes allowed her to see was her room. Her vision returned to normal, no not normal. It was clearer then it was before, her eyes saw past the trees, past the waterfall, past the other side of the Realm. She shook her head slightly, as if it was a figment of her imagination. It wasn't. "O man." she mumbled. On shaky feet, she slowly made her way down to the waterfall where her last memories existed. When she finally reached the cave-like platform behind the falls, she sat down in the middle, soaking in the suns rays that were warming her body. Thoughts sinking into her mind, she couldn't remember who pulled her out of that lake, or who found her. The day that she found out that her parents were dead seemed like weeks ago. Whoever did save her she was grateful to; she only hoped that they were still around for her to at least thank them. "Elendil!" someone called. "Coming!" she replied, picking up the front of her rosy-pink dress and walked back to the direction of the voice. Her steps were now a little sturdier, and the voice she noticed, still rang clear in her ears. She noticed on her way through the gardens that her hearing seemed to be sharper too, and she heard the faintest of noises. She shrugged it off, it's probably because you haven't seen or heard anything in such a long time. She thought with a smirk on her face.
Stepping up the steps she walked alongside the beautifully carved fence that contained a vast room filled with candles. A few feet away from her Ciron, one of the guarding elves of Rivendell had a huge look of relief on his face. "Ciron?" she asked with a puzzled expression on her face. He looked like he just saw Sauron. "Ciron!" she said again a little louder, which snapped him back into the present. "Arwenamin3," he whispered slowly. "Oio naa elealla alasse'.4" he finished, his voice slightly louder. "Diola lle." She thanked him with a slight questioning suspicion. "Is everything ok?" she asked taking a step closer to him. "Yes, yes, everything is fine M'Lady." He answered. As he did, Elendil noticed his eyes start to water. Quickly noticing it, he wiped the backside of his hand under his eyes. "Are you sure about that?" she pressed, brow wrinkling slightly in question. "Yes." He answered with a steadier voice. "Alright." She replied, not entirely satisfied with his answer. "Elendil." She looked up. "Ciron." "I'm sorry." "It's ok, seriously. I know I push sometimes and it's really annoying but-" "It's not that, you're not annoying." "Ok great, so what are you-" "I'm sorry about your parents." "Oh." Just then, Elrond appeared from around the corner. Elendil knew he was coming for quite a while, she had felt it and she had heard his soft steps. Ciron turned around to leave but much to Elendils' surprise stopped him, "Let me tell her first." He spoke softy. Elendil heard this too, even though it was whispered into his ear. She wondered if she was going to carry on hearing everything within 5 leagues from her for the rest of her life. Elrond then turned to her, "Elendil," he started. At the sound of her full name, a cold sweat started to break out in Elendil. He never called her by her first name, not since three months ago, not since...not since her parents died. "Elendil, do you recall what happened after the news?" Elendil shook her head. "You nearly died." He told her a little harsher then usual, speaking through clenched teeth. Elendil stared at him: she nearly died? Why couldn't she remember something like that? If she nearly died, surely she should remember, but no matter how hard she tried, she could only remember being the cave-like area behind the waterfall. "You nearly died Elendil." He repeated, stamping the phrase into her head. "You would have been beyond-" he stopped himself, looking down his eyes darting from side to side as if he was reconsidering what he was going to say. "You would have been dead if it wasn't for Ciron who dove in after you and returned you to the surface." He stated. Elendil averted her eyes from Elrond to the elf beside him, who was growing pink with embarrassment. Still in shock from the news, she promptly walked over to Ciron and gave him a warm hug. "Thank-you." He nodded and quietly slipped away when she released him. "Thank-you Elrond." She said to him and turned away to retreat to her room. "Elendil." With a small oh-no sigh, she stopped walking, her back still turned to him. "Where are you going?" "To my room." She heard Elrond walk up behind her, and suddenly she felt awkward around him; like a stranger who was trying to make polite conversation. "Elendil, look at me." Slowly turning around, she turned around looking him straight in the eye. "Yes?" "Since you have no memory of what happened to you on the day of your parents' death, I will tell you." he started walking in the direction that Ciron went and she quietly followed. "I know the outcome Master Elrond, and that's all that matters." At her words, she could feel him tensing. She now felt more out of place, more distant from him. Looking at him, she wondered how she ever got close to him. He was Master Elrond, one of the greatest Elves in Middle-earth. Born in the first Age he knew and saw so much. He was the owner of the Great Ring, Vilya. He made the Fellowship, he held the council of Elrond. He was power, great, respected and admired by all. She was nothing compared to him. Nothing at all. She possessed no great power, wasn't as lucky in friends as he was, and most people probably had no idea who she was. "That's not all that matters Elendil." He said softly. "What else matters? I'm alive, Ciron saved me and here I am! Alive and well." She said with an edge creeping into her voice. He said nothing, and she turned to leave. She didn't even belong here. She didn't belong anywhere now. She was a loner, an outcast who had no place to live. "Elendil!" Elrond said sharply. She whirled around, "What?" she spat, now growing tired of the fact that Elrond cared that she was still alive. He probably wished that Ciron didn't save her. Elrond stood still, a flicker of surprise and hurt in his eyes. "Why are you speaking to me like this?" "Why?" she began, emotions now running wildly through her veins. "You want to know why?" He nodded. "Then tell me why all of a sudden you start calling me by my real name, and why all of a sudden you're talking to me as if I committed a terrible crime and why it seems to effect you so much. Tell me why you look at me as if you can't believe I'm here, tell my why you talk to me as if I haven't been here all my life. Tell my why you say that the fact that I'm here isn't all that matters. Tell my why I'm even here in the first place! Tell me why you suddenly seem so distant from me and why you need to tell me that I almost died. Do you want me to die? I could go right now and do the same thing I did before. Do you even want me here? Do you even want to look at me? It seems like it's such a burden to you that you're talking to me let alone looking at me. When I saw you back there you looked as if you didn't expect me to be here. Maybe that's what you want. Maybe you didn't even want Ciron to save me and you wanted me to die however I was going to die. You probably didn't even want me saved. Why I'm here right now I don't know. Why I'm alive I don't know, why you haven't kicked me out of Rivendell I don't know. What I do know is that my parents died on my birthday, they left me here to fend for myself when no one wants me around. I'll tell you why I'm speaking to you like this. I'm speaking to you like this because nothing makes sense right now, and no one probably wants an orphan. You know what? I wish Ciron did leave me to die, and when he found me, if he's the one that did, that he just saved me from agony and just left me there." Elrond looked horrified, scared, and shocked at the same time. "Agony.?" "Yes agony. Life, not having a home, not having parents, not having anyone in this world that I trust and not having anyone in this world who cares about me. It doesn't matter for you, everyone knows you, and people care about you. But no one cares about me! No one knows I'm alive; it would have been so much easier for you if I had just died! You wouldn't have to deal with me! That's why I said you probably hate the person who saved me!" Elendil didn't notice, but there were tears streaming down her face, her brown eyes were rimmed with red, and there were teardrops on her dress. Elrond didn't look shocked anymore, instead he looked sad. As if her tears were about to run to him. "Is that what you really think?" Elendil didn't need to answer that, because Elrond knew the answer. She stared at him, almost daring him to say anything to her. She just spilled it all out. Everything she was thinking, he now knew, and the tears that were in her eyes started to overfill. "Tee," Elrond began quietly, "You did commit a terrible crime, you tried to kill yourself." "I figured that from what you've told me. What I don't get is how it affects you." Elrond sighed and a dark cloud seemed to pass. "Why wouldn't it affect me?" "You're Elrond, you don't need me here. I'm nothing but a thorn in your back." "I do need you," he said more to himself then to her. "You said that all that really matters is that you're here, and to an extent you're right. Before you were born, I was in emotional pain. I was depressed and I couldn't cope. When you came, it all disappeared. I felt better, the emotions that were eating me up inside where gone. It was as if you saved me from such a feeling. You came and it went. If you died, I wouldn't be able to handle it very well. It's not just for me, but you're my niece, and for the past three months I've grown to like you quite a bit." Elendil stifled a laugh at his last comment. "Elves I like I don't want to vanish from this world." She looked up at him, and very faintly she could make out a tear coming over the edge. "I would never, ever want you to die. Ever. And it pains me to look at you because every time I do I think of what could have happened if I didn't find you on time." "You were the one that found me?" "Yes I was. I heard you screaming, but it was just your mind. I don't know why it happened by it did. I found you and Ciron dove down to get you at my command. You were so close to leaving Tee.just a few more minutes and you would've been beyond my reach." Tears were slipping down his face now. "I was afraid you'd hate me, and right now I think you do. I know it's painful, but people do care for you, and they do know who you are. You're Elendil Alcawen, her people's Ray of Light. You are known to everyone." "I may be known to everyone, but who wants to raise such a girl?" "I do." At those words, Elendil snapped her head to face him. "I do, and that's why I haven't banished you. I never would. I would rather go through the challenge of raising you, then to go through the challenge of not having you around." On impulse, she wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug. "Thank-you. Thank-you for saving me, and thank-you for going through the burden of raising me." Elrond smiled, "it's no burden Tee, you're not like most that I've met." Elendil laughed, "Thank-you!" Abruptly, she stopped. "There's one thing, everything seems a lot more clearer now. Both my sight and my hearing. I can see past so much in front of me and I can hear almost everything around me. Like when you were coming around the corner, I knew you were coming because I heard your footsteps." He seemed to consider this, "Well that is what happens when you are a few minutes away from death." She smiled; it's nice to know you get something from almost dying. "Well, since you have been asleep for six days, this is a little late, but nonetheless I still wish to give it to you." he held out a small velvet-green pouch. "Happy Birthday." "Thanks." Untying the strings, she emptied the contents of the pouch into her palm, and out fell a necklace. Picking it up she saw that the pendant was a silver _____ leaf. It was outlined in sparkling diamonds and it glittered like nothing she had ever seen. "Thank-you so much!" she breathed as she put it on. Again, she wrapped her arms around him, not taking him by surprise this time. "Lle creoso.5" he smiled, letting her go. Looking down at her pendant Elendil smiled, but suddenly her ears perked up and she heard the sound of footsteps again. Slow, soft, but she heard them. Sensing her sudden change in moods, Elrond looked up to find no one around them. "Tee?" "Shh!" she quietly said. Elrond looked a little suspicious, but did as she bid. Hearing the footsteps louder behind her, she picked up a stone off the floor by her feet and grasped it tightly. The steps were slowing down, one step.and another. Silence. Her grip tightened on the rock, if that was possible, and her breath was held inside her. She heard the crack of a leaf and Elrond snapped his head in that direction. She didn't wait any longer, gearing her arm back she only hesitated for a second before she flung the rock in the direction of the noise. The rock whipped through the wind and in a matter of seconds hit the culprit with a deafening 'thuck'. Elrond immediately got up from the bench and briskly walked over to the resting ground of the rock, and Elendil followed suit. "Ciron!" Elrond exclaimed once he realized whom the victim was. Unfortunately by the time Elrond found out, the rock had already hit him squarely on the forehead. "Are you okay?" Rubbing his head at a rather alarming rate, he nodded his head, "Who, my I ask, threw that Master Elrond?" Elrond looked around as if he didn't know the answer. "Elrond, who threw that painfully hard stone at my head and how did they know I was coming?" Behind him, Ciron heard laughter which was getting louder and louder by the second. Elrond ducked his head so that Ciron couldn't see the laughter in his eyes. Elendil emerged with an even louder laugh if possible, her eyes were dancing and every time she looked at Ciron, another wave of giggles seemed to take over her. "What is so funny?" he asked scowling at the sight of Elendils' laughter and Elronds' who seemed to give up holding it back. Elrond backed up and stood behind his niece, still laughing. "Do you want to know who threw that rock at you?" Elendil asked in- between giggles. Looking impatient, Ciron got up with the help of one arm, the other one still furiously rubbing his forehead, which now turned to the colour of a bright rose. He picked up the rock with the other hand and thrust it in front of Elendils' face. "Who. Threw. This?" he asked slowly between gritted teeth and that only caused Elendil to laugh even more. "You think it's funny do you?" he asked angrily. "Yea actually I do." "Do you?" "Yep." Ciron threw the rock to the ground, "This isn't funny. Now who threw it at me?" Elendil mumbled something under her breath. "What?" "I did." She repeated, her eyes dancing with laughter. Ciron somehow managed to stop rubbing his head. "You did it?" he asked, his hand stuck on top of his forehead. He seemed to consider this, then after a while started to laugh himself. "You! You threw this rock at me. Right Elendil, right." Elendil looked insulted. Her laughter broke off completely. "You don't believe me do you?" she asked with a slightly humorous tone. Ciron shook his head, resuming to his forehead rubbing. "If you can aim that well then we should have you fighting and guarding these lands. You didn't even see me, it was just a lucky hit." Smirking, she picked up a rock off the ground. "Pick a spot." She told him bluntly. "What?" "Pick a spot. If I hit it, then you'll believe that I can hit bull's-eye. Okay?" she asked her voice surprisingly calm. Her eyes scanned her surroundings and it landed on the medium-sized figure on the very tip of the hall about twenty-five eagle wingspans long. The figure had a hole in the middle of it, and that was a perfect target. Cirons' eyes flickered back and forth; Elendil closed her eyes and hoped he didn't pick that target. If she missed, Elrond would never forgive her for it. "That one. That tree over there." He said. Elendil let out a whoosh of air and got ready to fire. Ready and- "Wait," Ciron stopped her, holding back her arm. Looking back at Elrond, he smiled devilishly. "That one, that figure atop the hall." Elendil looked over at him as if she could do some more serious harm to that forehead of his. "Ciron, that's a little far don't you think? If I break it then that's not going to be a pretty sight." Ciron smiled again. "But you won't break it will you? You'll get it through won't you?" She glanced at Elrond who was now staring at her with such a deadly stare that she was about to back down from her own proposition. Ciron seemed to see this and decided to make a proposition of his own, "You can either throw the rock, or you can shoot this arrow. Either one, it's you're choice." Elendil considered this, but didn't need much time to say she'd take the bow. The arrow would do less damage then a rock would, so there was one advantage. The major disadvantage however, was that she'd never touched a bow in her life. Of all the One-Hundred and seventy years she's been on this earth, she had never touched a bow and arrow. Copying what she always saw Ciron do, she picked up the bow with shaky hands, and hoped that Ciron didn't notice. Raising the pair, she moved them to the target. She could feel the vibration of her hand even though it was only a few inches away from her ear. Slightly raising her left arm, which was extended forward, she pointed the arrow so it was directly between the openings of the figure. Taking a deep breath, she released the arrow. It all happened in slow motion to her, she let it go and she saw it shoot out flying in between the leaves and branches on its way to the target. Like a silent deadly arrow, it traveled straight towards the mark. Elendils' eyes followed the arrow and she held her breath, going, going, going.through. She let her breath go. Turned around to face Ciron with a brilliant smile on her face. "Well, maybe my eyes deceived me, but it looked like the arrow went through the hoop. What do you say?" she asked happily. "That." he trailed off, baffled. He wasn't smirking or pretending it was a job well done, he we completely amazed. He looked at her as if he was about to say something, but nothing came out. "You've never." Elendil smiled, "Nope, that was my first time. Beginners luck I suppose." She said handing the bow back to Ciron. Ciron looked at her again, "Come." He said to her quickly, and he ran down the stairs. Elrond and Elendil followed closely behind, both wondering where he was leading them. After running down a few flight of stairs, they came to a halt. They were at the Shooting Hills; a spot elevated some fifteen meters above the rest of Rivendell. The elves shot there, for fun, reasons or vent their emotions. Flat and covered with lush green grass, the targets were spread everywhere around them. "Here," Ciron said thrusting her a bow and arrow. "See that target over there? Hit it." Quite bewildered at what Ciron was trying to prove, she loaded the arrow and pointed at the target. The sound of the wind whispered in her ears. Looking straight down the arrow, she let it go. Thuck. Bulls'-eye. "Next one, where I get my arrow, you follow suit. Understand?" he asked rather hastily. She nodded, taking the bow and arrow into her hands. Cleanly, Ciron pulled out an arrow, loaded, aimed, fired, and true to her expectations hit bulls'-eye. Copying his actions, she aimed, and fired. His arrow spilt in two.
Now both Elrond and Ciron looked at Elendil with wonder and amazement. "What?" she asked looking at the two elves whose eyes seemed to be held open at this point. Still not getting an answer to her question, she decided to go for facts, "All Silvan elves have remarkable aim. You said so yourself Elrond, so what's so interesting?" Ciron shook himself out of stupor before Elrond did and told her to wait where she was and that he'd be back in a second. Elrond was still staring at her as if he was frozen in time. He looked as if he was deep in thought at the same time, never taking his eyes off of hers. At this point, Elendil was getting a little nervous as she realized he hadn't said a word to her since she shot her first arrow. Ciron came running back, and much to Elendil's surprise he had a sword in his hand. She almost laughed when she was it. It wasn't that it was ugly, in fact is a quite beautiful, but she had no time to watch him play around with a sword. "That's a nice sword you have there Kee." She told him as he approached her bringing a nice breeze along with him. He nodded enthusiastically, "It is, it was my first sword and I always loved it." He said running his fingers down the edge of the sword. The sword had no design that Elendil could see, if it did it was simple and worn out. The hilt was simply designed also, with a single vine wrapping the bar. "Here, hold this." He thrust it into her hands and ran down a few feet from her. "Where are you going?" she called out to him still holding the sword in her right hand. "Right here!" he called back, removing something from a pouch secured on his waist. Seeing that it was a pebble, she saw him look at if for a moment, and in the blink of an eye the stone was hurling towards her. Taken by surprise at his sudden actions her first instinct was the raise her hand to protect herself. In her reflective action, she forgot that her hand was holding a sword and since she had no time to let it go, she stuck the sword in front of her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and promptly heard a 'cling'. Opening her eyes she immediately dropped the sword and marched over to Ciron. "What are you doing?! Are you out of your mind? Why did you throw a rock at me?" she asked him, actually it was more of an accusation then a question. Ciron wasn't paying her any attention; instead he walked past her and ran to the spot where she was standing picking up the stone. "Look! Elendil come look at this!" he called, his hand waving back and forth gesturing for her to come. Sighing, she walked back over to him yet again. "I don't want to see a rock. I saw it quite clearly when you threw it to me, or maybe you don't believe me. Would you like me to aim a rock at your face?" she asked with exasperation. Much to her surprise he answered yes. "Are you crazy?" she called out to him as his ran back yet again to his previous standing spot. "Is this your idea for fun? Because if it is, I have a lot less dangerous ideas in my head!" Ciron was so eager for her to throw a stone at him that she thought that he must have just wanted to answer yes to her question. "I'm not throwing it at you!" "Yes you are! Throw it!" "No!" "Yes!" "No!" "Throw it!" "No!" "Throw the stupid rock! If it lands in front of you then you can throw something else!" She threw it straight at him, and it ended with the same 'cling' on the sword as hers had. "There! I threw the stupid rock now can we play some other game that doesn't involve a possible death?" she asked him with aggravation. Again he walked right past her and picked up two things. He came back with his hands open. "Look, look!" he told her enthusiastically. "Look! Look! It's a pebble! Oh isn't that amazing?" she asked sarcastically. "No, it's not that. See this rock on this hand?" he asked raising up his right hand slightly. "Yea, it's a pebble." She responded. "Yea, but this one's chipped, see?" he asked as her eyes scanned the rock up and down witnessing its rough and damaged edges. "Look at this one." He said doing the same gesture with his left hand as he did with the right. "Yea, it's another pebble." She said, placing her hands on her slender hips. "Stop being so sarcastic would you?" he asked. "Anyways, this pebble is split in two, the other one isn't." he whispered as if he was telling a secret. At this, Elrond walked over to them and Ciron moved aside and showed him the pebbles in his hand. Elendil sighed yet again, growing tired and annoyed. She had no idea why she was doing this, and no one was bothering to tell her, and she found that quite rude. "Okay, that's great! Now can someone please tell me what is going on?" she requested. Ciron was happy to tell her, as she expected he would. "Alright, guess which one hit you." he told her. Fabulous, now we're playing guess-which-pebble-hit-you, she thought sarcastically. "I don't know, but then again does it really matter?" "Yes! Now answer the question." "The chipped one." "Why?" "Why what?" she asked with irritation. "Why do you think that that pebble hit you?" he asked her, handing the pebbles over to Elrond who pocketed them in his garments. "I just do, I don't know. Why are you asking me this anyways?" "Think! Why do you think you hit the chipped pebble?" "I just do!" she screamed at him, her patience was running out, and he was getting more and more annoying. This didn't seem to satisfy him. "Because there is no way that I could cut a pebble in half." Now he seemed to be more excited then he was before she answered him. "Why?" That last statement pushed her over the edge, "Why are you so annoying? Why did you drag me up here only to throw something at my face? I don't think I'd be able to cut the damn pebble in half because that was the first time I've ever picked up a sword and you've been using them since you were born!" she shouted, this time she walked right past him. "Wait! Come back here!" he called after her. She kept on walking. She couldn't stand his questions. Who knew that a person who saved your life would be so annoying? "Elendil." She stopped, not because it was her real name that he used, but the fact that he actually spoke. She turned around and came face to face with Ciron. "You were the one who cut the pebble in half!" he announced. He looked as if he was just declared king. She was slightly taken aback, "Okay." "Isn't that amazing?" "No, it was probably just a coincidence." Ciron shook his head, "No, no, no." and he thrust the sword back into her hands. "Stay there!" From a farther distance then he was before, he picked up a pebble from his pouch and threw it at her. Again she held the sword up to protect her. She stuck it in front of her face, the sword on a horizontal with her right arm stuck straight out. Cling. She picked up the pebble, and sure enough it was split in two. "Okay, well I don't see what the big deal is anyway. You can do it too." "No, no I can't. That's why it's so cool that you can! You're amazing! None of the elves here can split a flying pebble in two." "Elrond can." "None of the elves here can split a flying pebble in two." She looked at Elrond, but he said nothing, nor did he show any gestures. "Okay, so I can. Well maybe I was lucky twice in a row. Who knows? Besides does it really matter?" Ciron laughed, "Well it may not matter much to you, but it does to me. No one around here can do what I just saw you do two times in a row. It's pretty interesting. I'm going to tell someone about this!" he replied taking off down the stairs with his sword. "Ciron. You are not telling anyone." Elrond spoke. Stopping at the top of the stairs, Cirons' voice came, "Yes Master Elrond." And proceeded down the stairs with less enthusiasm then he had before. Elendil laughed, suddenly feeling more thankful then before that she was still alive and well. Overcome by a sudden urge to just live her life, she looked over at Elrond, who seemed to be thinking about something. Like always he had something on his mind, and during those times, he never wanted to be disturbed. Well too bad for him, because that was exactly what she was going to do. "Elrond!" she called and he looked up. "Thank-you for saving me! It feels really good to be here right now, even though previous events speak otherwise." She ran over to him and stopped by his feet. He looked a little less peeved then he normally would when someone disturbed him. "You're welcome." He replied. But his voice was distant, as if he didn't want her there at the moment. She understood, so she smiled a half-smile and turned to go. But something kept her there, there was a little nagging feeling telling her to do something but she couldn't figure it out. She turned back around to face him to see him looking at her with curiosity. She turned to go again but something was telling her to stop and look back. That she did. Then as if something had snapped in her, she found herself rushing back to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek. Finally feeling completed, she ran down to the waterfall. Sitting by the 'cave' behind the waterfall, she had yet another sudden urge run to the top of the waterfall, but obviously she didn't do it since the top of the falls were too far for her want to go. It was the biggest waterfall in Rivendell that she completely loved, it was good because there the water came down the hardest, the sun shone the brightest, and it was closest to her bedroom window. The bad thing was the top was too far up for her to go to. Sitting there, she was suddenly in the mood for song, she thought of Elrond, and how her life would be in shambles, well actually she wouldn't have a life to have in shambles. Now that he had given her a second chance, she felt so . blessed, and she began to sing:
When I think how life was going to be
Always walking in the shadows
Then I look at what you've given me
I feel like dancing on my tiptoes
I must say when I awoke
and realized you're by my side
I know I'm truly...
Blessed for everything you've given me
Blessed for all the tenderness you show
Do my best with every breath that's in me
Blessed to make sure you never go
There are times that test your faith
'Til you think you might surrender
I'm not ashamed to say that
my hopes were growing slender
You walked by in the knick of time
looking like an answered prayer
You know I'm truly...
Blessed for everything you've given me
Blessed for all the tenderness you show
Do my best with every breath that's in me
Blessed to make sure you never go
Blessed with love and understanding
Blessed when I hear you call my name
I'll do my best with faith that's never ending
Blessed to make sure you feel the same*
At the end of the song, she was surprised that she'd just sang modern song. Most races on Middle-earth sang only songs of the old. Modern song was difficult, having to make up the song yourself as you sang. She went through the song in her head again, and smiled to herself as she came to the conclusion that she had sang her very first Modern song, and she was going to call it Blessed, a song that was inspired by her own near-death and Elrond saving her. Standing behind the waterfall, she did feel blessed, and wanted to tell Elrond quite soon that she had just sand Modern song that was inspired by her near-death and him saving her. Quite suddenly, Ciron appeared out of nowhere, "Aha!" he jumped in front of her "Found you!" Elendil laughed, "I wasn't aware I was supposed to be hiding from you." she told him. Ciron smiled, "It's good to see you like this." He told her. "Like what?" "Like yourself, vivacious, open, sarcastic, and funny. I missed it for a little while." He told her openly. Elendil smiled, she didn't think for a moment that she would be missed if she weren't in Rivendell. It felt good to be missed though, and she was thankful that he was so open with her. "Well thank-you. I just never realized that I was sarcastic." Ciron looked dumbfounded, "Not sarcastic? Are you out of your mind Elendil? You're possibly the most sarcastic elf in this world and when I say that I-" he looked over at her, who had a huge smile on her face. "You were saying?" "Alright, you asked for it!" and with that he lunged at her and she fell back into the water. "Ha! Look who's all wet!" he laughed at her, but before he knew it she had already pulled him into the water. "Now look who's all wet!" she screamed happily. "That's it, you're going down." And with his last words he pushed her under, but she was too quick. She had already slipped out of his grasp. "You going to have to catch me first!" and she dove back under the water.
~*~
----------------------- [1] Good Morning 2 What is it? 3 My Lady (Familiar) 4 Ever is thy sight a joy 5 You're Welcome * Blessed -Christina Aguilera