Eye of the Ice Dragon
by Elarin
description: Elrond and Glorfindel are heading to Mirkwood with an urgent letter from Thranduil. Instead of taking the easy way there they both decide to go the sanctuary of the Silvan Elves by way of the north for the purpose of scouting the land. During their journey they find a strange thing among the frozen mountains and barren forests, a thing of lost in the currents of time into tales unknown. If you're an Elrond fan you should like this story.
setting: changed my mind (actually I bothered to reference the book) we're in the third age.
*
Chapter 1 | Treasure in the Ice
Ered Mithrin, the Grey Mountains, in common tongue was a realm of cold winds and icy snow storms amid the frozen wrath of winter. If the matter of visiting Thranduil were not so urgent Elrond, as well as Glorfindel, would have rather waited until the spring to make the journey to Mirkwood. Indeed it would have been easier to simply cross the Misty Mountains and the Anduin to the east of Imladris and enter Mirkwood through there but Elrond had been slightly concerned about rumours of packs of orcs and goblins making their way toward Eriador through the North and Elrond much wanted to see for himself what lied in the north. Even so, he and Glorfindel dared not pass through the old realm of the Witch King, instead they crossed the northern banks of the river Mitheithel and cross the northern range of the Misty Mountains and passed through the land past the river Langwell and up across the river Greylin.
They travelled light, carrying a repertoire of arrows, their bows, their swords and a good bag of some food. Their cloaks protecting them from the ragin and stinging ice of the cold, even though the two elves were quite resistant to the weather it was easy to grow weary of it.
But one thought kept them going: It would be only a few more days before they found the source of the Forest River and from there head south into Mirkwood toward Thranduil's domain.
But the heavy snow seemed to hinder their journey.
"Ai!" cried Glorfindel and mild complaint though a smile touched his lips, "I believe, my Lord Elrond, that we shall have to stop a while, for I doubt that this storm will calm its fury itself any time soon!" Elrond looked about from the shadow of his hood his eyes squinting past the heavy snow and whipping winds.
"Something wicked is in the wind," Elrond said above the howling wind pulling the hood of his cloak closer to him, "I know not what it is, but it troubles me."
"That I feel as well," Glorfindel said, "Strange that the wargs (werewolves) have come so far northward, we only killed that last pack a few days ago and yet after seeing the carrion of dead creatures and pulled down trees, more have left their mark and I would not doubt that there would be more danger here."
"Sauron must have sent them here." Elrond said and glanced down at his ring, Vilya, its blue stone glowing with a faint hue. He silently wondered if Sauron was beginning to catch on to the location of three elven rings. No. Elrond thought. Not yet. Though he wouldn't doubt that the Red Eye seeked Imladris and had sent spies to find it.
Elrond and Glorfindel had travelled swift in one week and had overcome a few stray orcs and some trolls. But the wargs seemed to come into these lands with purpose, and they travelled together, great dark wolves with eyes red as blood. The two elves had managed to hunt and kill a few of them, from Thranduil's letters Elrond learned that they had been invading Mirkwood as of late, and travelling north, to where he did not know, but Elrond now knew they were heading to Eriador.
He sighed deeply seeing indeed that the storm would not cease.
"Perhaps you're right, but in these winds, Glorfindel, we shall not be able to pitch tents." Elrond said recalling the times of battle when they indeed had tents to rest in and to tell tales and laugh among comrades even when times were dark. Glorfindel grinned.
"Neither do we have tents to pitch." He said. "Then we shall have to find a cave." Elrond frowned at him.
"Most likely we shall have to fight for one, for I doubt that the caves here are empty."
Glorfindel sighed his blue eyes focusing on his friend's silver ones, "Would you rather sleep out under here?"
In reply, Elrond drew an arrow from his quiver.
*
They had discovered a cave not far from where they'd been. To their mild surprise they had found it empty, at least at its mouth, and not sign that anyone had been there. Glorfindel and Elrond walked into it, through its narrow halls of stalacites its mouth embellished like a great jaw of icicles. But as they walked deeper lightly and gracefully past frozen meres of water a swift movement from above had caught the attention of both elves and they had drawn their weapons. But whatever shadow above the frozen paths had moved it had just as quickly vanished.
"As I suspected, this cave in not unoccupied." Elrond told Glorfindel. Glorfindel raised a white golden brow glancing around and above cautiously.
"Like a wraith," he commented mostly to himself, "And yet, I don't think the thing is a threat." Elrond tended to trust his friend's judgement for the most part but the song of the wind outside led him to have some other suspicions.
"Perhaps, but it would be best if we still practiced caution." Elrond told him.
"Agreed," said Glorfindel as he found a spot nearby and unloaded the tied roll of kindling he had brought with him, "Let us build a fire and eat. We are a day's journey ahead and at this rate we should arrive to Thranduil's invitation earlier than most of his other guests." He said. Elrond sat by him dropping his things by a nearby rock and upon the frost covered ground they began to build a fire.
But even so, Elrond found himself glancing behind his shoulder from time to time for the utter silence within the cave made him wary.
*
Two hours had passed and the two elven lords had been discussing things of old memory and more recent threats. Glorfindel sighed deeply as they entered the discussion of Thranduil's turmoil, the reason they had been called. The shadow grew stronger by the day in Thranduil's realm and they had begun attacking in greater force. Thranduil had called a council inviting elven representatives from Lothlorien, Mithlond, and Imladris. Elrond, himself, did not necessarily have to be present, he could have sent Glorfindel alone in his stead but Elrond wanted to visit Thranduil for it had been long since he had visited what was once the Greenwood which was now overcome by shadow and heavy mist.
-Nwehannar…lye…- a lady's voice echoed in a ghostly hymn through the cave and both Glorfindel and Elrond were silenced and stood up. –…unandirye alarima…-
It was not any form of elven speech that they knew of yet the voice sang it as if it were and the sounds were beautiful echoing through the walls.
"What is that?" Elrond whispered past the echoing voice.
"I know not. But perhaps we should go see?" Glorfindel suggested clutching his bow in some suspicion.
"Yes, let us." Elrond agreed in a whisper.
–eya… calanweyi onanremin…anun elenye…- the voice sang in a speech unknown and they followed it. The melody seemed mournfull and yet like a prayer it echoed through the natural halls of stone and ice. Glorfindel and Elrond passed silently through a narrow halls, and found it amazing that they could still see for upon the walls there was a silver glow, and to their surprise they had found a source of mithril.
"Amazing that the dwarves did not find this." Elrond said quietly.
"Agreed, but yet another puzzle lies here." Glorfindel whispered.
-eya… nuncalan wenthil… nuncalan twilyen…- the voice sang in a mystifying phrase that both elves understood not the words.
"And what is that?" Elrond asked Glorfindel though his ears were still following the song.
"The dwarves once dwelt in this region," Glorfindel said softly, "and this cave is not at all hidden yet no mark of chisel nor pike is found within here, no rune nor tool. The dwarves seek mithril, there is a trove of it within here yet they have not touched it."
-mairquentiluen… ustane unerilye…-
Elrond silently wondered upon the fact Glorfindel stated. Finally they came out of the narrow hall into a clearing where the mithril reflected like moonlight upon another frozen mere and upon it was a small form clad in dark grey and ragged robes, her disheveled hair long and dark and her eyes the the silver of the mithril tinged with the icy blue of the frozen meres. Abruptly, she stopped her song sensing the elves there and stood up letting out an exclamation of surprise. Elrond immediately noticed the wound upon her left leg and it was still bleeding.
Both elves realized this was a mortal girl.
"Do not be afraid." Elrond stated in clear common tongue, "We shall not hurt you."
Her eyes turned to the source of his voice, still filled with bewilderment and fear. Glorfindel studied her. Her eyes seemed not to focus on them, they seemed not to focus at all.
"She is blind." Glorfindel told Elrond. The dark haired elf lord frowned, the thought upsetting him.
Elrond leaped down from the stony rampart from whence they came. The girl stumbled back upon the ice as if sensing his approach though Elrond had moved silently.
"Do you understand me?" Elrond said softly in common tongue.
Her confused expression did not change and she only trembled, Elrond sensed her fear and glanced down at her wound, it had been done by an orcish blade, that much he could tell.
"Mannalye telperiel?"* Elrond asked her gently in old Quenya for the words of her song alomost resembled that tongue even though it was neither Sindaren nor Quenya. She seemed to stop trembling, whether from cold or fear, hearing his voice speak in the old tongue. Elrond exchanged a glance with Glorfindel who stood afar watching with interest. (*AN: translation is as follows "Who are you, silver woman?").
Elrond approached her with caution, fearing she would flee, but she did not move but her blind eyes blinking twice at him thought she could not see.
-atarie…? nunerya larandwe?- she asked cautiously. Elrond wrinkled his brow in question.
"I do not understand you, Telperiel." He said in Quenya and placed his cloak around her shoulders, "But we must take care of your wound." She tilted her head at him a curious expression upon her face. Elrond decided to try to pick her up and to his pleasant surprise she did not fight him but looked about her as if listening for something they could not hear.
"She does not understand common tongue." He told Glorfindel in his usual Sindaren, the switch of tongue went by the mortal girl unnoticed.
"She must have been abandoned here." Glorfindel replied as they maid their way back torward the campfire. She whispred things quietly in her unintelligible tongue which neither of the elves understood, "Perhaps an orphan." Glorfindel looked at the girl in Elrond's arms as they passed the narrow mithril halls and finally saw the golden glow of their fire, "She is naught but fourteen mortal years of age if my insight to mortal years serves me correctly." She looked curiously toward Glorfindel.
-mannalye?- she asked mimicking Elrond's earlier question. Elrond put her down against one of the smoother walls and both elves looked at her intrigued.
"Nanye Glorfindel, Telperiel." Glorfindel replied slowly wondering if she understood.
-Glorfindel- she repeated thoughtfully. Elrond raised an eyebrow.
"Curious." He said to Glorfindel in Sindaren.
"Indeed." Glorfindel agreed.
"Do you suppose she understands us?" Elrond asked him kneeling down to tend to her wound. She jerked her leg away for a moment with a yelp and Elrond whispered soothing words in Quenya and she stopped fighting him.
"Well," Glorfindel began, "There is yet another puzzle here." He sat down next to the one they now called Telperiel, and looked to Elrond thoughtfully, "She is blind and small and the wounds are recent and that of an orc's how do you suppose she escaped alive?"
Elrond looked up to her blind silver eyes.
"I have not an answer, but I do not intend to leave her here."
*
AN: well, there's the beginning. I pray you'll like the rest of it ^_^