DISCLAIMER: Lord of the Rings, and its characters, sadly, do not belong to me. They are the property of JRR Tolkien, et al. No money is gained from the writing of this story. Its sole purpose is for the enjoyment of myself and all who read it.
SUMMARY: This story spans an eighty- year time frame, and is dedicated to our beloved twins, Elladan and Elrohir Elrondion. Lord Thranduil sends his niece Elendil, who is accompanied by he friend Meoi, to Rivendell with a message for Lord Elrond. Things happen that they did not expect, and this story is their account.
----- For those of you with a plethora of knowledge of Tolkien and LOTR, please bear with me. Not only is this the first fanfic I have ever written (as anything else I've ever written has been original works), but I am also working with a limited amount of knowledge. What I do know has been gleaned from the movies and what I have pisked up from a few wonderful sites like the Mellon Chronicles and twinsofelrond. And now, without further ado:
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Destinies Entwined
Chapter One
Part One
Having been summoned to Lord Thranduil's private chambers, Elendil's steps are light andquick as she responds to her uncle's request. As she travels through the halls, her mind wandersback to the first time she took that very same path, those long years ago.
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At six years of age, Elendil is a precocious and inquisitive elfling. Long russet tresses frame an almost heart shaped face. Her bright grey- green eyes sparkle with merriment and mischief, giving her an air of childish abandonment.
"Naneth", she says in a lilting, sing-song voice. "Why have we left Lorien? I miss the forest and these woods scare me."
"Shush now iell. It is alright. This is to be our home now."
"But naneth...," Elendil begins.
"No buts Elendil."
Quieting,
Elendil looks about herself at the darkened forest around her. She
can hear the sorrow and anger of the trees in the gentle breeze that
is blowing. "Naneth, why are the trees so sad? What happened to
them that has made them so angry?,"
she asks, looking up into
her mother's pristine face.
"These woods were once green and beautiful iell," her mother answers. "They were called Greenwood the Great. But then a darkness moved in and corrupted the forest. Evil creatures began to call it home. That was when the name of this forest was change to Mirkwood," she adds, a hint of sadness in her voice.
Elendil's heart ached for the beauty and serenity that was lost, leaving the forest a dark and brooding force. "Why do we come here, naneth, if it saddens you so?," Elendil asks, squirming on the back of the dark grey mare she rides with her mother. She longs to be back in Lorien, running through the green, verdant forest.
"We come here, iell, because this is my home; where I was born. I have missed many of the things of my home. I know it is dark, and may even seem dismal to you, but you will grow to love it as well as I," her mother tells her.
"I doubt it," Elendil grumbles under her breath.
Rounding a bend in the road, the underground palace home of Lord Thranduil, Elf Lord of Mirkwood, comes into view. Almost against her will, Elendil becomes intrigued by a palace built completely underground.
"Naneth, why did Lord Thranduil build his palace underground?," she asks quizzically.
Laughing at her daughter's expression, she tries to explain. "You see iell, Lord Thranduil spent much time with Thingol and Melian, who also had underground palaces. With all the dangers of Mirkwood, Lord Thranduil felt that he, and his people, would be safer under ground than above."
"Thingol and Melian, were they dwarves naneth?," she inquires, her eyes wide.
"No iell, they were not dwarves," her mother says, trying hard not to laugh. "Thingol was an elf of the Teleri kindred. Melian was a Maiar," she adds, smiling at her daughter's curiosity.
"What is a Maiar, naneth?"
"The Maiar are like gods, iell."
"If they are gods, how could Lord Thranduil be with them? Did he...?"
"Enough
questions now, iell. We are almost there. You must remember to show
Lord
Thranduil and Lady Namarien the proper respect that they
deserve."
"Yes, naneth", she says quietly.
Riding up to the entrance to the underground palace, Elendil is awed by the regal blonde couple standing in front of her.Dismounting her horse, Elendil's mother approaches the couple waiting at the top of the stairs.
"Mae govannen Lord Thranduil, Lady Namarien", she says in greeting, bowing slightly out of respect. "I would like to introduce my iell, Elendil," she adds, motioning Elendil forward.
"Mae
govannen to you as well. There is no need for such formalities,
miunthel," Lady
Namarien says, descending the stairs and
approaching them. She takes her sister into her arms and hugs her
close. "It has been a long time miunthel, too long," Lady
Namarien says turning slightly. "So, this is Elendil," she
adds, kneeling down to look Elendil in the eye. "She has Galen's
eyes," she adds softly, smiling at the little elfling.
"Mae
govannen Elendil. I am Lady Namarien. I am also your aunt."
"You are?," Elendil asks shyly.
"Yes,
I am. And Lord Thranduil is your uncle. Our ionn, Legolas, is your
cousin.
However, he is napping right now, so you will get to meet
him later," she says with a smile. "I knew your ada, iell.
He was a wonderful man, and great archer of the Lorien elves. He will
be sorely missed."
"Annon le, Lady Namarien," Elendil says, with tears in her eyes at the mention of her father. His death was only a few short months ago, and the pain was still too new. As the tears begin to slide down her cheeks, Elendil turns to her mother and buries her face into her mother's skirts.
"Come," Lord Thranduil says, a few moments later, after Elendil has wiped her tears and turned again to look at the Elf Lord and Lady. "You must be tired from your long journey. We will show you where you can rest, and this evening, we shall celebrate," he adds, leading them through the halls of his underground home.
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The memory of her first arrival in Mirkwood, and the events that led up to it, come flooding back to Elendil as she makes her way to her uncle's inner sanctum. The memories are bittersweet, and bring tears to her eyes. Wiping the tears away, she knocks lightly on the door.
"Minno," Thranduil replies at the soft knock.
"You wished to speak with me, hir-nin?," Elendil says, closing the door behind her.
"Please, come, sit," Thranduil says, motioning to an adjacent chair. "You do not need to use such formality with me iell," he adds with a chuckle.
As Elendil comes further into the room, Thranduil can see that her eyes are red-rimmed and there are tear tracks down her cheeks. "What is it? What's wrong?," he asks, concern putting an edge to his voice.
"It's nothing uncle," Elendil responds. "I was just remembering the first time I came here. I was momentarily overwhelmed with the memory of the death of my ada," she adds, sitting down in the proffered chair.
"Sometimes it is still hard after all these long years, for me to believe that Galen is gone," Thranduil admits. "He was a loyal friend and confidant," he adds.
"Yes, I know uncle." Studying her uncle closely, Elendil can see concern, and a sense of urgency, deep in his eyes. Knowing that orcs have been pressing ever further into the northern borders of Mirkwood, she is not surprised by the urgency in his manner.
"Now, to the reason why I called you here," Thranduil says, changing the subject because it was such a painful one for Elendil. "I want you to take a message to Lord Elrond of Rivendell."
"Rivendel, hir-nin?," Elendil asks, reverting to the formal title in her surprise.
"Yes, Rivendell. It is of great importance to me Elendil. I would go myself, but there are other pressing matters requiring my attention, and presence, here in Mirkwood."
"Then why do you not send Legolas? As he is your son, wouldn't he be the better choice for you to send?," Elendil asks, already knowing the answer to her own question.
"Legolas, it seems, is off on another one of his myriad adventures. I wish he were here to do this, as the road can be treacherous with orcs on the move, but he isn't. That leaves you. I want someone of my house to deliver this message. Legolas is not here. You are the only other one I would entrust this to."
"Annon le, uncle. It lightens my heart to know that you believe so strongly in me," Elendil says, a look of merriment in her eyes. "However, I have but one request, uncle. It's nothing serious", she adds at the look on Thranduil's face. "I would like to ask Meoi to come along with me. She is a great friend, and her company would help pass the time on the journey."
"Of course iell. I don't see why you shouldn't have some company along; someone to talk to. Just do not tell her the true reason why you are going to Rivendell."
"As you wish, uncle."
"I have already begun the preparations for your departure. You are to leave in the morning. You will have a small guard to escort you, to ensure your safety. Hold, Elendil," Thranduil says, seeing the look of defiance in her grey-green eyes. "I know you are an excellent archer, nearly as good as your father was, and that you have his skill with a blade as well. They will simply be there to aid you in case of an attack," he adds with a chuckle.
"You know me well uncle," Elendil says, her eyes full of mirth.
"That, I do iell, that I do," he agrees.
"I will take my leave of you now, uncle, so that I can find Meoi and invite her along," Elendil says, rising from her chair. Striding over to Thranduil, who has also risen, she hugs her uncle and kisses his cheek.
"I have already told your mother, and Lady Namarien, of your impending journey. If I know them as well as I think, they are most assuredly in your chambers making sure you have all the things you will need for your journey," he says, as Elendil reaches the door.
"Oh no", Elendil says dramatically, rolling her eyes. "It'll take three horses just to carry my things, if they have their way about it." Lord Thranduil's laughter follows Elendil down the hall as she goes in search of her friend.
Part Two
The
following morning, just as the light from the sun begins to brighten
the sky, the small band is preparing to begin their journey to
Rivendell. After bidding farewell to Lord Thranduil and Lady
Namarien, Elendil approaches her mother. "I will miss you
naneth," she whispers as she hugs her mother fiercely. In all
the years she has
been in Mirkwood, Elendil has never traveled far
from its borders.
"Silly child, you won't be gone forever," her mother admonishes her.
Laughing, Elendil releases her mother and mounts her horse. With a final wave, the small band rides out of Mirkwood and turns their horses south- westward towards Rivendell.
"Thandien," Elendil calls to the elven guard leading the group. "How long will it take to reach Rivendell?," she asks, maneuvering her horse closer to his.
"It should take four to five days, depending on the weather Lady Elendil," Thandien replies in answer to her question.
"Annon le, Thandien," she replies.
Reining
her horse in so that she is again even with Meoi, they begin talking
amongst
themselves. "Well, this will give us the chance to
enjoy a change of scenery," Meoi says, grinning.
"And atmosphere," Elendil, adds grinning as well.
The whole idea of journeying to Rivendell to see the great Lord Elrond Half-Elf has both them a little giddy.
"I can't believe we're going to see Lord Elrond," Meoi says with a twinkle in her eye.
"With as much as Legolas has spoken of Lord Elrond, I hope he measures up to the impression I have of him in my mind," Meoi says mischievously.
"I'm sure he will, Meoi."
Later
the first day, they stop and make camp at the foothills of the Misty
Mountains. After setting a watch, the group enjoys a quiet meal and
turn in for the night.
Rising early the next morning, Elendil
spends a few quiet moments admiring the majestic mountains rising
before them.
"It will take us two , maybe three, days to pass through the mountains to the other side, as long as nothing goes wrong," Thandien informs her as they lead their mounts up into the rocky foothills surrounding the mountain.
As the day wears on, a comforting silence envelops the group. The mountain rises around them, the trees giving way to shrubs and rock. The path they are taking into the mountain grows ever steep. In many places the trail is so narrow that they must travel in single file. In some areas, only a narrow stretch of rock separates the horses from steep ravines. They stop several times in the day in order to rest their weary mounts.
About midday, Thandien stops and dismounts his home. "We will have to lead the horses on foot from here on," he says. "The route is too treacherous for us to ride them through here. Once we reach the pass that will lead us out of the Misty Mountains on the other side, it will be much easier traveling." Following Thandien's lead, they each dismount and begin the slow trek up towards the pass.
As they travel further into the mountains, the air gets thinner and colder. Although the elves are not susceptible to the cold the horses are. In the evening they stop and proceed to set up camp in a sheltered alcove. Again, guards are posted, and one by one, the little group drifts off to sleep.
The following morning dawns dark and cold with store clouds quickly moving in. After the morning meal has been eaten and things have been put away, they continue their journey towards the pass that will lead them through the mountain to the other side.
"It looks like we may have some rain before the day is through," Meoi says, glancing up at the ever darkening sky.
"At least it isn't winter," Elendil says, teasing.
"How long until we reach the pass, Thandien?" Elendil asks, raising her voice a little.
"Three hours, if the weather holds," he replies. "There's a natural outcropping of rock that will shelter us when the storm breaks," he adds, watching the sky intently.
Two and a half hours later, the storm that had been threatening since morning, hits the group, full force. The rain is hard and freezing and they are all drenched in mere minutes. The wind whips around with the force of a hurricane, flinging rain and dirt into their faces.
"Lovely...," Meoi says sardonically. "It just couldn't wait until we got to shelter, could it?," she adds, pushing wet hair out of her eyes.
"Of course not, that would be too easy," Elendil says laughing at the losing battle Meoi is fighting with the elements.
"What's so funny?," Meoi asks, pulling the hair from her face again.
"You...," Elendil barely gets out through her laughter.
"Oh really? Well, you don't look so great yourself with your hair plastered to your face," she says, feigning anger.
"I'm
sure I don't," Elendil counters, shaking with the force of
holding in her laughter.
By the time they reach the pass, and the
aforementioned shelter, they are soaked to the bone.
Hobbling their horses to keep them from straying, the little band settles in to wait out the storm. Having no way to light a fire, as the rain has soaked the dead wood lying around, they eat a cold meal of dried meat and bread. As the day wears on, and the storm continues to rage around them, they unpack their bedrolls and settle in for another night in the mountains.
Sometime in the night the rain ceases but the clouds remain, leaving the night shrouded in darkness and shadow. A lone elf sits awake, staring out into the night, keeping watch over the others as they sleep.
A few hours before dawn Thandien is awakened by the low warning whistle of the elven guard. Springing awake instantly, Thandien grabs his weapons and approaches th other elf. "What is it?" Thandien asks, eyes and ears alert for anything out of the ordinary.
"Shadows in the darkness," the elf answers, scanning the terrain. "I think we have company," he adds, sparing a glance at Thandien.
"It's most likely orcs," Thandien says with disgust. "I'll awaken the camp. You keep searching Arethien," he adds.
Thandien awakens the camp only moments before they are attacked. Just as
Thandien expected, their attackers are orcs.
The fighting is fierce. As the orcs swarm into the camp, the elves spring into action.
Removing her daggers, Elendil parries the attack of one orc while slashing at another one. She allows her mind to withdraw and focuses only on defending herself and her companions. Her daggers flash in the light of the fire as she takes on one orc after another.
After
what seems like ages, but is only minutes, the orcs are either dead
or dying. Several elves have sustained minor injuries, but there are
no serious wounds.
Meoi goes to her pack and gets out her herbs.
After tending to the wounded, she turns to Thandien. "Why do you
think the orcs were this far south? I thought they were mostly in the
northern parts of the forest around Mirkwood and the slopes of Ered
Mithrin?"
"There's no way of knowing that for sure," Thandien says, sharing a knowing look with Elendil. "We will eat a quick meal and then head out. It will be daylight soon anyway. By nightfall we should reach the foothills", he adds between bites of lembas bread.
"Good. I'm getting tired of seeing nothing but rock and dirt. I'm ready to see something green again," Meoi says nonchalantly.
"As am I," Elendil agrees softly.
As
the sun slowly rises behind them, the small band of travelers begin
the downward leg of their journey. Noticing that her friend is
unusually quiet, Meoi begins to worry about Elendil. Moving closer to
her, she lightly places her hand on her friend's arm.
"What
is bothering you so, Elendil?" Meoi asks, her voice laced with
concern.
"Hmm... Oh, it's nothing mellon nin," Elendil answers, looking away.
"It isn't 'nothing' Elendil. Something is truly troubling you. What is it mellon nin?
You know you can tell me anything."
"I'm sorry, Meoi, but this I can't share. Not yet. After we've reached Rivendell and rested, maybe. But not now," Elendil answers.
Knowing that she will get no more from her friend, Meoi decides to leave it alone. She knows that Elendil will confide in her in time.
As Elendil falls silent, knowing that her friend will be patient with her, she lets her mind wander back through the past to the first time she and Meoi met.
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As the days and weeks go by, Elendil slowly settles into life in Mirkwood. Though she misses the forests of Lorien, and Cadras Galathon especially, she is slowly coming to love her new home.
There are many more places to explore and much more mischief for her to get into than there was in Lorien. It is on one such day of exploring when her path crosses that of Meoi, who enjoys getting into mischief as much as Elendil does.
"Mae govannen," Meoi says, stepping around a tree and startling Elendil. "Sorry... I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Meoi," the elfling says after causing Elendil to jump.
"You didn't scare me," Elendil says defiantly.
"Is that why you jumped? Cause you weren't scared?" Meoi says, laughing.
"I guess you're right. You did scare me, a little," Elendil admits, laughing as well.
"I thought I was the only one who comes out here," Meoi says, tilting her head.
"Oh. I just found this place today. I didn't know someone else was already here."
"That's okay. What's your name, anyway?"
"Elendil."
"That doesn't sound like a Mirkwood name to me."
"It isn't. I'm from Cadras Galathon, in Lorien."
"I know where it is. My ada showed me once on a map. How come you're here if you're from Lorien?" Meoi asks.
"My naneth is from here. We came here a couple months ago after my ada died."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Meoi says in response to the sadness on Elendil's face.
"It's okay. It just hurts a lot still. My naneth thinks that being here will help me forget, but I'll never forget what happened!" Elendil exclaims, a look of defiance on her face.
"How'd he die?"
"He was killed by orcs. Him and some other elves. It was too hard for naneth to stay there with his memory every where, so here we are."
"Well I'm not glad your ada died," Meoi tells her, "but I sure am glad you're here. Now I have somebody to play with that likes to explore, too!" Meoi says, bouncing with pleasure.
"Me too", Elendil agrees.
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"Me too."...
Those
two words echo back to Elendil down the long tunnel of her memory.
Remembering all that she and Meoi have shared, and how their
friendship helped heal her heart after the death of her ada, Elendil
is indeed grateful to have Meoi along.
As the day goes by, the bare rock of the mountain slowly gives way to shrubs and scrub trees. At midday, they stop to rest and refresh themselves beside a pristine stream. Allowing the horses to roam freely, Elendil and Meoi relax in the shade cast by a huge boulder.
"About earlier...," Elendil begins. "I do wish to tell you everything mellon nin, but my uncle gave me strict orders to keep this to myself until after I have had the chance to talk with Lord Elrond on his behalf."
"Elendil, you do not need to explain. I have known you a long time. I know that you will talk about it when you can," Meoi says, a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes.
"I just felt that it had put some distance between us, and I had to fix it."
"That could never happen mellon nin."
"It must just be the strain of the journey getting to me. The attack from earlier has been weighing on my mind all day."
"I know. I can see it in your eyes."
"It brought back some memories that were better left buried. Seeing the orcs, I remembered the pain of losing my ada to them. It just dredged up feelings that were better left alone," Elendil says, sadness and anger reflected in her grey- green eyes.
"I know. That is why I left you to your thoughts. "
After that, they fall into a comfortable silence. Elendil closes her eyes on the memories and pain of the past, determined to look only to the future.
That night, they stop and set up camp in the western foothills of the Misty Mountains, less than a day's journey from Rivendell. Finding plenty of dead wood for a fire, Thandien sends Arethien and another elf out to hunt for something to eat. It is not long before they return with some wild game. Throwing together an impromptu stew, the elves have their first hot meal since entering the mountains.
"What do you think Rivendell looks like, Elendil?" Meoi asks between bites of stew.
"Well, from what Legolas has said, Rivendell has a beauty that comes alive with the rising of the sun each morning. He says that it's beauty is only rivaled by that of Cadras Galathon."
"I know what Legolas says about Rivendell. What I asked was what do YOU think it looks like," Meoi says good- naturedly.
"I've never seen Imladris, of course, but I think that the golden green of Rivendell is as bright as the morning star," Elendil says laughing.
After finishing their meal and cleaning the dishes, the friends lean back and look up at the vast beauty of night sky above them. The stars are like twinkling diamonds on a backdrop of black velvet.
As the others drift off to sleep, Elendil finally allows her mind to delve into the attack from earlier that morning. As the memories flow, she allows her tears to wash away the last vestiges of fear.
Out
of the corner of her eye, Meoi sees the tears trailing down her
friend's face. Knowing Elendil as well as she does, Meoi knows that
it is best to leave her alone.
As the night deepens, they fall
into their own thoughts and drift off to sleep.
The morning sun is bright as they start on the last leg of their journey. An air of excitement seems to envelope the small group, and they fall into good natured teasing. Around midday, Arethien, after a nod from Thandien, takes off at a gallop towards Rivendell.
"What do you think that is about?" Meoi asks, thinking out loud.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Elendil says in response to her friend's question.
Maneuvering
her horse forward, Elendil comes abreast with
Thandien.
"Thandien...," she begins.
"He's riding ahead to Rivendell to inform Lord Elrond of our impending arrival," Thandien informs her before she can voice her question. Laughing at the quizzical look on her face, Thandien explains. "I have known you since you were a child Elendil. I could see the question in your eyes."
"Oh," was her only reply.
Returning to her previous position beside Meoi, she turns toward her friend to explain. "Thandien sent Arethien ahead of us to tell Lord Elrond that we are making our way to Rivendell."
"So, why do you look so ruffled?" Meoi asks with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Thandien... I didn't even get more than his name out of my mouth before he was answering my question," she says with mocked annoyance. Shaking her head, she shrugs. "Oh well, at least this way our arrival won't be such a surprise."
"True, true," Meoi says, her eyes scanning the forest that surrounds Rivendell.
"It's so beautiful and peaceful here. Nothing like our own forest in Mirkwood. It's so dark there. Here, there's so much light," Elendil says, her eyes sparkling.
"I can't wait to reach Rivendell. I'm looking forward to sleeping in a soft warm bed once more," Meoi says, her spirits lifting at the thought.
"Really? What happened to the adventurous, mischief- making explorer you used to be, Meoi?" Elendil asks giggling.
"Oh, she's still here, somewhere...," Meoi adds with a chuckle.
A few hours later, as they ride over a small ridge, Rivendell is seen at a distance. With the sun slanted against it, the elven city appears to be a golden gem surrounded by a sea of green. As their destination comes into view, an air of excitement and awe envelops the group. Quickening their pace, the elves descend the ridge and step onto the path that will lead them into the heart of Rivendell.
TBC...
