--------This chapter of Destinies Entwined is lovingly dedicated to Cat, one of my best friend's and the person on whom Meoi is based.. Cat once asked me about Meoi's history and identity, and if she was just some random elf that Elendil becomes friends with. After all, Elladan and Elrohir are the elven princes of Rivendell and Elendil is, to quote Cat, "the unofficial princess of Mirkwood." Well, this chapter brings Meoi's history and identity both to the forefront, with a little angst thrown into the mix. Cat, adher mellon nin, I could not have done this without you---------

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.

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Destinies Entwined

Chapter Seven


Part One


It has been one week since the passing of Thandien to the Halls of Mandos. His death weighs heavily on the hearts of all who knew him. Elves are immortal, they are long lived and very passionate, and there are many memories of the one who has been lost. Thinking of Thandien, Meoi feels a small pang of guilt. Although she has grieved over his death, she cannot help but feel relief that it was Thandien and not Elendil who passed on. She does not think she could have handled losing her best friend. As she makes her way to the dining hall, her thoughts travel back in time, to the day her mother left Lasgalen for the undying lands.

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Hiding in the boughs of the tree that she and Elendil have played in since they were young elflings, Meoi finally allows her pain and grief free range. She knows she should be at the palace, seeing her mother one last time, but she is unable to make herself do so. The pain of knowing that her mother has chosen the undying lands over her own child is a jagged blade cutting Meoi's heart in two. If her father were here it would be different, but he isn't, and she has no idea where he is. Feeling abandoned and alone, Meoi sobs so deeply that her whole body shakes with the
effort. She is so engrossed in her sorrow that she doesn't hear the approach of her friend.

"Meoi? Silvaria sent me to look for you. She knows that I would find you quicker than anyone else. She will be leaving soon. She hopes you can forgive her long enough to see her off," Elendil says, taking her usual place in the tree. "I told her I would find you, and deliver her message. And so I have. I did not, however, say that I would bring you back. I am so sorry Meoi. I know what it is like to lose a parent. My heart grieves for you, and with you, mellon nin."

"What would you know of my pain?" Meoi snaps, her grief blinding her to all else. "At least your mother is still here. You haven't lost both of your parents."

"I know mellon nin. But I have felt the loss. And I feel your loss now Meoi. You could be no closer to me if you were my blood kin, and I feel your pain and grief as deeply as if it were my own. That is why I will stay here, in this tree with you, until after Silvaria and her guards have left, if that is what you intend to do. I am not leaving your side mellon nin, no matter how hard you push."

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Entering the low, wide room, Meoi spots her friend leaning over the table and whispering something to Elladan and Elrohir that makes them both laugh. Strider and Legolas just shake their heads at the laughter. Smiling, she is glad that her friend is slowly returning to normal. As Elendil looks up and smiles at her, Meoi returns the smile and makes her way over to where they sit. "Mara arin mellyn nin. It is good to see you enjoying yourself Eleni," she says, using the nickname she had not used in a millennia.

"You haven't called me that in ages Meoi," Elendil says, laughing. "What, pray tell, has brought it out now?" she adds, teasing her friend.

"I was just thinking about when we were still elflings. Thinking of our childhood brought it to mind. And if I remember right, a certain human at this table used to call you that when he was little", Meoi says, her eyes full of mirth. Laughing merrily at the light tinge of embarrassment on the young human's face, Meoi takes a seat and begins placing fruits and cheeses on a plate for her breakfast.

"I was wondering if you were going to join us this morn Meoi," Elendil says teasing her. "But then again, I was the center of attention while you were not here and would have remained so had you not arrived," she adds, chuckling.

"Funny", Meoi says, in between bites of cheese. "But then, you always want to be at the center of attention. You never like to share, do you?", Meoi asks impishly.

As they banter back and forth during breakfast, it helps to ease some of the sadness that has enveloped the palace since Thandien's death.

"So. What kind of mischief do the four of you have planned?" Meoi asks, referring to Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas and Estel.

"Mischief? Us?" Legolas asks teasing. "We don't cause mischief."

"Oh. My mistake. I must have confused you with three other elven princes and some other ranger," she counters in merriment.

"Actually," Legolas says, laughing, "we are going hunting."

"Then I suppose we won't see you for a few days. Ah well. I guess we will survive," she says, laughing softly. "Just make sure you don't get into any trouble out there. There's been enough of that around here lately. We don't need anymore," Meoi calls, laughing as they walk off.

Twenty minutes later, the hunting party is preparing to leave when several unfamiliar elves arrive at the gate, requesting an audience with Lord Thranduil.

"I might not be going after all," Legolas says, sighing.

Lord Thranduil comes out, speaks with the new arrivals for a few moments, and then turns back into the palace, motioning for the new arrivals to follow.

Cocking his head as his father goes back inside, Legolas shrugs and returns to the hunting party. "He must not need me after all." As the hunting party leaves, their easy, friendly banter drifts on the morning breeze.

"What do you want to bet they come back with at least one of them being injured in some way?" Elendil says, laughing.

"I'm not going to even touch that one. I know I'd lose!", Meoi says, laughing as well. "I wonder who they were," she adds, referring to the new arrivals that had followed Thranduil into the palace.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out eventually," Elendil says, her thoughts elsewhere. She knows that she came very close to walking the Halls of Mandos alongside Thandien. She also knows that if it weren't for the words and voice of a certain elf prince from Rivendell, she would be doing just that. As the hunting party rides off, she watches the form of Elladan Elrondion until he moves around a bend in the road and disappears from view.

Part Two

"You're sure of this?" Thranduil asks, feeling a great weight descend on his already heavy heart.

"Yes hir- nin. That is why we are here. We were given orders to come here only in the event of this happening,"says Ramathan, a tall, rather drawn elf. "We were given orders to come here and deliver these," the elf adds, pulling two sealed parchments from a pouch and removing a small satchel from his belt. Handing them over, he bows respectively. "We have done our duty. All we ask hir- nin is that you allow us to remain long enough to rest, and then we will return to whence we came."

"Of course," Thranduil says, a troubled look in his eyes. "You may remain until the morrow. If that will suffice."

"Annon le, Lord Thranduil", Ramathon says before escorting the elves with him from the room. They are met at the door by Arethien, who takes them to the guest quarters.

Sitting at the table for the afternoon meal, both Meoi and Elendil feel the absence of the twin elves. They always made the meals livelier, but this afternoon, it is almost somber. Watching her uncle closely, she can see that he is very troubled. Whatever reason brought the newcomers to Mirkwood, it hadn't helped her uncle's mood any. If anything, it was worse. Wondering what could have upset him so, she continues her meal, feeling the absence of Elladan even more.

Once the meal is over, Elendil and Meoi rise to go outside for a little archery practice. Before they reach the wide archway, Thranduil steps into view.

"Mara arie, uncle," Elendil says, smiling.

"Mara arie, Elendil," Thranduil says. Looking at Meoi, a quick shadow of sadness crosses his face. Hiding it, he gives her a small smile. "I need to speak with you Meoi, about something that has recently been brought to my attention," he says, trying not to alarm the she-elf.

"Umm... okay," she says, looking askance at her friend. Seeing Elendil shrug her shoulders, Meoi follows Thranduil through the palace and into his private study.

"Please. Sit Meoi. There is no reason for you to be so uneasy," Thranduil says, motioning the she-elf to take a chair. After she does so, he picks up a parchment from his desk. Looking at it for a moment, he tries to figure out just how to tell her what it contains. Knowing that it won't be easy, regardless of how much he wishes it were different, he decides the only way is to be completely up front.

"This is not easy for me to have to tell you Meoi. I received a message about your father."

"My father? That's impossible," Meoi says full of resentment.

"How is it impossible?" Thranduil asks, curious of her reaction.

"Because my father doesn't exist. He hasn't for a long time," she says, pain evident in her voice.

"Meoi. I understand your pain and anger. You have every reason to feel angry. But you need to listen to what is in this parchment," he adds, sighing.

"Fine," she says, petulantly.

Taking a deep breath, he plunges right in. "You're father is gone Meoi."

"What? What do you mean gone?" she asks, momentarily forgetting her resolve to feel nothing for the elf who had abandoned her.

"He was killed. He now walks the Halls of Mandos."

"Killed? How? I don't... The elves. The ones who arrived earlier. They told you, didn't they?"

"Yes. There's more to this though. Your father. He was my cousin. When he left here, he left knowing that he was no longer welcome here. I agreed not to tell you anything until after both he and your mother had passed from Middle Earth. It wasn't an easy choice," Thranduil says, seeing the anger and pain in her eyes. "If I hadn't agreed Meoi, Amarathon would have taken you away with him. You and Elendil had already formed such a strong bond of friendship. It would have
devastated both of you and I couldn't let him do that to the two of you. So I said nothing," he says, hoping she understands.

"But why didn't you say anything after my mother left? You had no idea where my father was or even if he was still in Middle Earth."

"First, to answer your question. I made a promise and I was not going to break my word. As to not knowing where Amarathon was. I did know. I have had messages now and then in regards to his whereabouts. He wanted it kept from you. He felt it would do you no good to know. It would have only caused you pain. I have hated keeping this from you Meoi. It is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. To refuse my own blood. It is not natural. But once you give your word, you have to keep it. Regardless of the cost," he says, a deep sadness in his eyes. "This is
for you", he adds, handing her a small pouch and an unopened letter. As she gets up to leave, he goes over to her and pulls her close. "I have wanted to do that for a very long time," he says, letting her go. Watching her walk from the room, he feels some of the heaviness in his heart lift.

Looking for her friend, Elendil see's Meoi slip out the open gates into the forest beyond. Knowing exactly where her friend is headed, Elendil shakes her head and follows her. She could tell from the slumped shoulders that something was wrong, and was not about to let her friend deal with it alone. Climbing up into the boughs of the tree, Elendil can see that her friend has been crying. "It was that bad mellon nin?" she asks quietly.

"You could say that. It seems that Lord Thranduil has kept tabs on my father all this time. He's been gone since we were little, but no one ever bothered to tell me he was sending messages every now and again. Oh, and guess what? You and I aren't just friends. We're cousins."

"What? Where did you hear that Meoi?" Elendil asks, shocked but delighted as well.

"Your uncle. Or, rather, OUR uncle."

"Why didn't he ever say anything before?"

"He promised my father he wouldn't say anything until both he and my mother had left Middle Earth. Otherwise, my father would have taken me away with him."

"If you weren't supposed to know until they were both gone...," Elendil starts when Meoi cutsher off.

"My father is dead," Meoi says, her voice filled with pain. "I know I haven't seen him in nearly two millennia. It shouldn't hurt so much, but it does. He abandoned me when I was young. Why does it hurt so much?" Meoi asks, tears streaming down her face.

"Because you know that he truly didn't abandon you mellon nin. The life he lived, it would have destroyed you. The things he did, that got him banished from Mirkwood, they would have eaten away at you, and he knew it. He loved you too much to make you suffer that way mellon nin. The shame that he felt from his banishment, he didn't want you to live with that. That is most likely why he made our uncle promise not to tell you until after they were gone. But you won't know any of this is if you do not read the letter that was given to you," Elendil says, softly.

Staring at her friend a moment, she opens the letter that was left for her. As she reads it, her tears begin to flow again, and she can almost hear her father's voice as she reads the loving words.

My Dearest Daughter,

I have longed to hold and comfort you since the day I left.
I ache with the knowledge that I missed so much of your
childhood. I didn't get to watch you grow into a strong,
beautiful she-elf. I can picture the beauty that you are, for
you have so much of your mother in you. Her beauty,
her love, her grace. And my stubbornness. I have longed to
see the elf-maiden that you have become. My only hopes are
are that you can someday forgive me, for were it not for my
stubbornness, I would not have missed so much, and I look
forward to the day that I can see you again, upon the shores
of Valinor. Never doubt that I loved you daughter, for you
were always in my thoughts.

Lovingly,

Your Father

Turning her tear streaked face to her friend, and cousin, Meoi smiles for the first time since her talk with Thranduil. "Come cousin," she says, liking the sound of it, "my heart is no longer troubled by the past. I only wish to look towards the future now."

As they return to the palace, her steps are light and the heavy weight that once hung over her is finally gone.

"Thinking of a certain she-elf 'Ro?" Elladan asks during the evening meal, teasing his brother.

"No more than you 'Dan," Elrohir counters good- naturedly.

"What, pray tell, has you two in such a good mood today?" Estel asks, noticing the merriment in the eyes of his elven brothers.

"Oh. It's nothing, really. Just enjoying the pleasures of Lasgalen," Elrohir says.

"And it's beauty," Elladan adds, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling that has a double meaning?" Estel asks, laughing heartily.

"Could be brother, could be," Elrohir says, playfully.

Shaking his head, the young dunadain looks to his friend and notices the secret smile on the elf's face. "Am I the only one who is at a loss here?" Estel asks, laughing.

"It seems you are Estel", Elladan says, teasing him. "Should I explain it to you then brother?" he asks, eyes full of mirth.

Remembering the looks that passed between his brothers and the she-elves, and the reaction of his elven kin when they feared Elendil and Meoi would die, he finally realizes what it is they are talking about. "There is no need to explain it 'Dan. Now that I think on it, it is obvious that you refer not to the woodland beauty of Mirkwood, but to the beauty of her people. Two certain she-elves in particular," he adds, smiling wryly now that he understands what his brothers keep referring to.

"I was wondering when you were going to catch on mellon nin," Legolas says, laughing heartily.

The last several days had been very therapeutic for all of them. The shadow of the loss of an elf still hangs heavily on their hearts, but their easy comraderie helps ease the pain of it. The hunting party, after having hunted together for the first two days, had decided to break up into smaller groups to insure a better hunt for all. It is just the three elven princes and one young ranger, but they are all skilled in battle, the elves even more so, and they feel safe enough.

As night falls, Estel takes the first watch and allows the elves to get some much needed sleep. As he settles in to keep watch, the night breeze is warm and embracing, and the sounds of the night are soothing for the soul.

Unbeknownst to the young dunadain, several pairs of eyes watch the camp from the cover of darkness. They have followed their quarry since it broke off from the others, waiting for such a chance to present itself.

The elves are sleeping and the young ranger does not expect trouble this night. Especially from where it comes. Giving a silent signal, a shadow detaches itself from the others and silently moves towards the young ranger, whose back is to him. Before the young ranger can even react to the feel of a presence near him, something heavy slams into the side of his head sending the human into oblivion.

TBC...