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Lian: Part Two
By Hollie
Lian wasn't sure how it was possible, but she felt as if the entire room was swirling around her, and the sturdy, earthen floor that she had once stood upon seemed to have dropped out from underneath her. Her knees wobbled, her stomach lurched and her heart ached like she'd been stabbed.
She felt a vice-like grip on her elbow, and she turned slightly, recognizing Faith at her side. The older woman gave her a reassuring smile, and as Lian's head swam, a part of her realized that Faith's grip was probably the only thing that was keeping her upright.
Blinking, Lian looked back up to the top of the stairs. Making a slow procession down the flight of steps was the ever-stunning Galen, blonde hair glimmering in the candle's glow, blue eyes alight, and on his arm, a tall, stately elf-maiden. She had long, golden-blonde locks that fell down to her waist, eyes of a bright blue shade and perfectly fair skin. Lian felt hideous in comparison, and she hastily tried to brush back her dark hair, matted and filthy from a lack of suitable places to bathe along the journey from Rivendell.
Galen and the she-elf finally reached the foot of the stair –after what felt like an hour to Lian- and came forward to greet the guests.
"Your highnesses," Eron bowed low to the two elves. Lian's mind instantly reeled at the word 'highnesses.' Plural. This woman was a princess, which meant that Galen must have marri--- Lian's entire body convulsed, her heart shattered into a million pieces. Faith's grip tightened.
Faith was the only one who was aware of Lian's condition. The two of them stood towards the middle of the party, with Magen and Anil in the front, Anto and the Gondorian guards to the rear. If Lian hadn't been so terribly upset, she probably would have been surprised to watch the greetings. When Eron announced Magen's name, both Galen and the woman bowed low, and treated him with the respect usually given only to sovereigns.
"It is an honor to finally meet the elf of which so much has been told," Galen said, looking solemnly at Magen. The other elf waved his hand casually and gave a wry smile.
"Ah, that story has been inflated and embellished far too much over the years."
"Well," Galen too smiled slightly, "perhaps we may find some time later to hear tell of the truth of the tale?"
"It would be my deepest pleasure, highness." Magen bowed, deeply to the two elves. Anto, in the back, was trying desperately to keep control over his senses.
"So it has come to this," Anto thought, his heart sore. "I can see her so clearly now, she's so close! And even more beautiful than ever... but she must love another! I have no chance with a creature of such incredible wisdom, poise and beauty!" He looked ahead, masking the feelings of longing that swept his entire being.
"Her majesty, Faith of Rivendell," Eron's drawl cut through Anto's thoughts and Lian's blurred senses, and she felt her support leave her to walk forward. She felt alone and vulnerable standing by herself, so close to Galen. Suddenly, there was another grip, this time on her hand. She looked up to see Anto, his face reflecting the anxiety and apprehension she was feeling. His fingers were sweaty and he looked scared. Lian squeezed his hand tightly, and an understanding passed between the two of them. They turned to face the two royal elves, watching as Faith greeted them.
"Lady Faith!" Galen exclaimed, rushing forward to hug the elf who had been like an aunt to him his entire life. "Ah, it is great joy to see you again! Does father know yet of your arrival?" He looked to Eron.
"His royal majesty shall be informed of the lady's coming immediately, my lord." Galen nodded, clapping Faith jovially on the back one last time before releasing her.
All too soon, Faith had stepped back, and it was Lian's turn to be announced. With trembling feet, she stepped forward, feeling all eyes on her. Anto gave her hand one last squeeze, then released her, silently wishing the mortal luck. Faith watched intently, her eyes glued not to her niece, but to the prince of Mirkwood. His face was strangely emotionless, mouth set in a straight line, jaws tight. Only his eyes betrayed him, taking in every detail of the mortal that walked towards him. Faith saw adoration mixed with anger in the sparkling depths of his eyes, a curious mixture sprinkled with hurt, heartache and joy.
"Princess Lian of---"
"I know who she is," Galen snapped, cutting Eron off mid-introduction. His voice was strained, trying to withhold the flood of emotion. The elderly elf, only slightly put off, continued after a moment.
"Well then... May I present to her the Crown Prince of Mirkwood, my Lord Galen, and his sister, the Golden Lady of the Northern forests, Erëssa." The young lady smiled warmly at Lian, and curtsied slightly. Lian was too stunned to return the gesture. She stared, openmouthed at the woman now revealed to not be his wife, but Galen's sister!
Faith elbowed Lian's side as unobtrusively as she could. Her young niece looked up, wonder and shock shining in her eyes. Faith shot her a look that most clearly said, "stop gaping and bow!" Lian numbly took her aunt's advice. Galen continued to stare in the same fashion as he had the entire time, until a soft touch on his arm from Erëssa jolted him into a somewhat jerky bow.
Eron, unaffected by the odd behaviors, decided to continue his introductions. "The brothers Anto and Anil, sons of Adaír of Doriath." The two males bowed low respectfully to the royalty. Galen seemed to have snapped out of his complicated emotional state at the mention of their heritage.
"Of Doriath?" His blue eyes flashed keenly, peering intently at Anil and Anto. "Are you truly?"
"Our father, sire," Anil replied calmly. "He was one of the last born before the... fall. We ourselves never visited the great wood, and the reign of King Greymantle, Elu Thingol and his Queen, came in a time far before our own." Galen nodded, still intrigued.
"What of your father then, Lord Adaír? Is he here?"
A spasm of darkness crossed the faces of both Anto and Anil. "Our father's current locations are unknown, sire." Anto remained silent as his brother spoke, eyes glassy and glued to the floor. Galen gulped once, then regained his princely composure.
"Forgive me, I did not know. You have my condolences."
"And mine." Erëssa spoke for the first time, her voice lilting and musical, perfect, just like the rest of her. She looked directly at Anto as she spoke, and the elf shifted under her gaze.
"Thank you milady," he muttered.
"Galen," the Golden Lady started, "our guests have come a long ways," she looked the ragged bunch over, "and seemingly through much toil and---" she broke off with a gasp. "Lady Lian!" Erëssa exclaimed, finally taking note of the long gash on Lian's arm, partially healed thanks to Anto's kaalin drink. "Oh, whatever happened to you!"
"I, uh... Well, we were..." Lian bit her lip, unsure of what to say.
"We were attacked," Faith stepped in, looking directly at Galen. "The main reason behind my determination to speak with Legolas." She glanced quickly at Eron -no doubt annoyed by the elf's initial refusal for immediate audience with Legolas- before continuing. "We believe it was by Southrons. They attacked us out of the blue, from behind. And we found several parties, members of your army, dead on our way here, all of them pierced with arrows."
Galen's face contorted, both furious and confused. "Southrons? In Mirkwood?"
"So it appears," Faith replied smoothly. "I had hoped that Mirkwood was already aware of this infestation, but it appears not."
Galen stared at the wall indignantly, as if it had somehow offended him. "This is not possible! In the name of the Valar, of Manwë and Varda themselves! They must've just come, those nadorhuanrim!" He pounded one fist into his hand, completely furious.
"Ah, Lady Faith," the soft-spoken Erëssa interjected, drawing attention away from her outraged brother, "perhaps you and Lady Lian would like to come with me. You can clean up, and then you can go to speak with our father." She looked to the three male elves, and to the Gondorian guards, standing silent as statues in the back. "Eron, please show these gentle men and elves to their rooms, and see that they are taken care of. Have maids draw baths, and perhaps fetch a healer as well, to clean up the cuts and heal those bruises. And send for food from the kitchen." She paused in her commands to smile sadly at the guests in her now troubled home. "We'll send for you later."
Before either could object, Lady Erëssa had grasped both Faith and Lian by their arms, taking them to their rooms, leaving the remainder of their company with the still fuming Galen and Eron.
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Okay, I'm really sorry that this was so short... I'm just.... Well, to put it bluntly, I just found out that my grandmother (well, great grandmother, technically) has passed away. I've been writing all afternoon.... it helps, takes my mind off things I don't particularly care to think about. Well, anyways, that aside, I apologize for the shortness, and probably the poor quality of this chapter. My mind is somewhat elsewhere today though, I'm sorry.
Ah, today, I decided to do something a little special. Um, throughout the process of writing the Lian stories, things changed A LOT. Seriously. The original characters were very different.... anyhow, I though it might be fun to let you guys in on some of the drastic and not-so-drastic changes that have occurred... here goes!
On the Beginnings of Lian-
~Originally, Lian's story was a dream I had. It was a dream where Aragorn's daughter was kidnapped by Sauron and taken prisoner in Mordor. Anyways, it was a rather long dream, but basically, she was rescued by her 'knight in shining armor'..... Legolas. Yea. When I woke up, I changed it to Legolas's son, Galen. I named the female chary Lian, after a character I had created in a screenplay I was writing. (and I also dropped the being kidnapped by /Sauron/ bit, as you know.)
On Lian-
~Okay, originally, Lian was a chary from another story (as written above ;) and her full name was Lian Elentari. (a name I saw when skimming -/skimming/ mind you!- the Silmarillion) however, I later found out that Elentari was another name for Varda, the Chief Goddess, the Star Queen. So, obviously, that had to be changed.
~The original character of Lian was based on Queen/Senator Amidala (sp?) from the Star Wars movies (the new ones... I've never seen the original three.... I keep meaning to check them out too...).
~Lian's original love interest, Legolas, was changed because I wanted to be a little different, as there are so many Legolas/OC fics. (and not enough Kolia/Farin fics, Quiet One! *wink wink nudge nudge*)
~Lian is an /evil/ OC! She's a pain in the butt! (Lian: hey! Am not!)
Oh, before I forget---- I decided that my story is lacking in proper Tolkienology. Unfortunately, I have yet to finish reading the Silmarillion, and it's been a while since I last read some of it. I apologize for any historical errors I might have made. I tried not to go into much detail, but just incase, I wanted to apologize. Oh, and nadorhuanrim means 'cowardly dogs' in elvish.
Ah, okay, there's lots more little tid-bits, but I don't really feel like adding them now. Uh, I'm sorry, I'm not doing individual thank you's today, sorry, I just don't have the energy. Just know, all my lovely reviewers, that you all have my thanks and deepest appreciation. You guys always manage to brighten my days, no matter how sad/angry/depressed/etc., I may be. I'm eternally grateful.
Thanks again guys.
Always,
~Hollie