Legolas entered the throne room walking briskly. Thranduil didn't
even look up at his son as he was discussing a matter with one of his
advisors. Legolas cleared his throat.
"What is it, Legolas? I am busy," Thranduil said, not looking up.
"I know, father but it is urgent." Thranduil looked up into the eyes of his son and that the emotion in them. He frowned in question and waved the advisor away. After the Elf had left Thranduil looked at his son again.
"What is it then?" he asked, his voice slightly softer than before.
"As you know Erin and I went for a walk in the woods today." Thranduil nodded for him to continue.
"We came across something..... disturbing......"
"What do you mean?" the King asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
"There was a village that was burning and men were left dead on the ground. Not just men, but women and children also."
Thranduil's eyebrows raised. "Where is Erin now?" he asked, changing the topic for a moment so that he might digest the information he was just given.
"She was-" Legolas looked down. "She was very upset, so I put her to rest in my chambers."
"Ah, I see. Was there anything else unusual about his town?" Thranduil asked.
"Not that I saw."
The King had just opened his mouth to ask another question when the doors to the throne room burst open. He looked up sharply at the intruder. Esgalan ran into the room.
"Your highness!" he called, approaching the King. Thranduil looked at him sternly.
"What is it, Esgalan?"
"I have an important matter to speak to you about." Thranduil's eyebrows raised again.
"Yes, it would seem that there are many important matters for me to attend to today. What might this one be about?"
"A village that was burned."
Thranduil looked surprised and glanced at his son. "Indeed, that is what Legolas has come to speak to me about." Legolas and Esgalan looked at each other.
"How is it that you came to see it, Esglan, Erin and I did not see you there."
Esgalan nodded. "I took the right path that went up to the cliff and I'm assuming that you took the left one that led to the village?" Legolas nodded at him.
"Well then," Thranduil began. "Perhaps you have more information for us, Esgalan?"
"Indeed, I do. Since Prince Legolas saw it from the ground he most likely could not have seen the way the town was burned. It was-" Esgalan seemed reluctant to continue. He looked into the King's eyes and Thranduil looked back at him , his eyes intense.
"The town was-" Esgalan began again. "It was burning in the shape of an eye, sire."
Thranduil was visibly shaken.
"What did you say?" he asked, his tone dangerous.
"It was burning in the shape of an eye."
Legolas looked at his father. "Sauron was destroyed, was he not?"
Thranduil did not answer, but looked down, his mind working. It couldn't be, could it? He prayed that it had not come so soon.
"No, it can't be them," he whispered.
"Who, father?"
Thranduil looked up at Legolas startled. He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh it's nothing."
The door to the throne room opened again and Thranduil looked up. Had someone ELSE seen the burning village as well?? Erin walked slowly and shakily into the room, her face pale.
"You highness?" came her timid voice.
Thranduil looked at her sternly. "Yes?"
"I know who it was that did it."
He looked at her skeptically. "Oh? And how did you come by this knowledge?"
Erin looked down. "When I woke up in the forest- I- I came across a village that had been attacked. The villagers looked at me and said that I did it. They said that I had the same eye scar and asked me where my sword was. I didn't know what they were talking about. Later when I was traveling through the woods I found........ Shinta's mom...... and there was a woman there. She had a sword and red eyes. She asked where Efalu was and Ilthilien told her that she didn't know. She was going to kill Shinta but I stopped her and she told me her name."
Thranduil looked at her, his mind praying that she did not what he feared.
"She said that her name was Luvair."
Thranduil's face slackened and he bowed his head, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.
"It is as I feared."
Legolas looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about father?"
"I must tell you all, now, what the people of Middle Earth have feared for so long. None have spoken of it since it happened."
Now all three in the room were curious.
"I had hoped that this day would never come, but it seems that it has. I had started to suspect such when Erin arrived after her 'death'. Everything matches the order in which it will happen."
Thranduil looked up at Legolas, his eyes full of sorrow. "Legolas, my son, I'm afraid that I have to tell a story that will hurt you. It is about Ladhwen."
Legolas stiffened and Erin looked down. "Esgalan," Thranduil said. "Fetch Avarion and Glorfindel." Esgalan ran from the room to carry out the order.
Erin and Legolas waited in the tense silence that filled the room until Esgalan came back a few minutes later will the aforementioned Elves at his side.
"You called for us, your highness?" Glorfindel asked.
"Yes, I called you here because you must also hear this tale, for it involves both of you." The Elves looked at him quizzically.
"I'm sure that you both remember the war of the Eleven?" Thranduil asked. The reaction was immediate. Both Avarion and Glorfindel jumped when it was mention.
"You reactions would suggest that you do." Thranduil said, continuing his story. "Luvair has returned."
Both of the Elves paled while Erin, Legolas, and Esgalan looked at them, confused.
"Are you sure, sire?" Avarion asked.
"Yes., I believe it to be so. A village was burned in the shape of an eye and Erin came upon the woman that killed Ilthilien who carried a sword and called herself Luvair."
Glorfindel looked down in thought. "What will we do?" he asked after a moment.
"First, I must tell these three the truth about what really happened to Ladhwen." Thranduil stood and paced the floor for a moment before he finally began.
"It began with Eleven women. Enhikari, Silei, Alotica, Efalu, Sicatifla, Luvair, Envituri, Estaia, Silota, Flolenia, and Aloluca. They were tortured by the race of men for having certain........ gifts, and were outcasts amongst their own kind, the Elves. It came to be that they gathered, drawn to one another in their likeness. What most do not know however, was that they allied themselves with Sauron. They were able to gather a large army and waged war on Middle Earth while Sauron watched from the shadows, inactive.
"Their army grew larger and soon it seemed that the war might not be won by us, but after a victory in which five of their number perished. Luvair lived. Around that time Ladhwen came to the forest and befriended you, Legolas, and soon you came to love her. I'm not entirely sure about what happened after that, but all I know is that Luvair created a creature, a dark creature, and that is what killed Ladhwen that day."
Legolas looked shocked and tried to absorb all of the information that he was being given. Thranduil turned to Erin.
"Erin, if I recall correctly there was a dark creature that held no shape and pursued you and your companions through the woods."
Erin nodded, a frown upon her face. "Yes, I encountered it only moments after I arrived here." Thranduil nodded solemnly.
"It would seem that the creature still pursues you, somehow it knows that you have Ladhwen's soul."
Erin looked shocked as did all the others who stared at her.
"After Luvair created this creature and it killed Ladhwen the rest of the "Eleven" became very angry with her. To this day I do not know why, but Luvair was not supposed to kill her. They turned on Luviar and intended to kill her, but as legend tells, Luvair's hatred at being betrayed consumed her and she killed all of her friends. The armies of Middle Earth became aware that there was only one left and so they joined forces to defeat her. Luvair knew that she could not defeat them all and so in order to protect herself she sealed herself away. Now Luvair is back, and so, in a way, is Ladhwen."
All eyes turned to Erin once again and she felt heat rising in her cheeks.
"I do not know what your purpose is, Erin, but I know that you must play some part or you would not be alive now."
Avarion looked up at Thranduil. "Then what are we to do your highness?"
Thranduil looked at him, his eyes full of sadness, anger, desperation, and weariness. "There is one person who can tell us. Only one person who can tell us what not even Galadriel can. You must find Alotica the Fair, one of the Eleven."
"But you said that they all perished except for Luvair," Esgalan said.
"Aye, they did," Thranduil said. "But they will be reincarnated just as Erin has been."
"So," Erin asked timidly. "Alotica is alive?"
"Yes, and you all must find her."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Erin asked.
"She lives deep in the Firien Wood."
"How did you know about her?" Erin asked, the questions rising in her mind too quickly for her to voice them all.
"She was the first of the Eleven to be reborn and a day came when memories of her past life surfaced. She came to me and told me of an event that was to come. I did not believe her at first, but slowly, over time, certain things that she had warned me about began to happen. Sauron reemerged as did the ring, then Sauron was defeated. She told me of all of this. She is the only one who can tell you what really happened so long ago.
"I am sending you all together to find her. I send you, Avarion, and Glorfindel because you have fought the Eleven before, and therefore, you know more of what to expect than these three. You must protect them and help them through this journey. You all must find her swiftly, for I fear for the fate of Middle Earth if Luvair has, indeed, returned. If she has then she will begin to build an army again and she will do it quickly. You leave tomorrow morning."
The five companions nodded in stunned silence then left the room slowly, leaving to prepare their things for their departure in the morning.
"What is it, Legolas? I am busy," Thranduil said, not looking up.
"I know, father but it is urgent." Thranduil looked up into the eyes of his son and that the emotion in them. He frowned in question and waved the advisor away. After the Elf had left Thranduil looked at his son again.
"What is it then?" he asked, his voice slightly softer than before.
"As you know Erin and I went for a walk in the woods today." Thranduil nodded for him to continue.
"We came across something..... disturbing......"
"What do you mean?" the King asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
"There was a village that was burning and men were left dead on the ground. Not just men, but women and children also."
Thranduil's eyebrows raised. "Where is Erin now?" he asked, changing the topic for a moment so that he might digest the information he was just given.
"She was-" Legolas looked down. "She was very upset, so I put her to rest in my chambers."
"Ah, I see. Was there anything else unusual about his town?" Thranduil asked.
"Not that I saw."
The King had just opened his mouth to ask another question when the doors to the throne room burst open. He looked up sharply at the intruder. Esgalan ran into the room.
"Your highness!" he called, approaching the King. Thranduil looked at him sternly.
"What is it, Esgalan?"
"I have an important matter to speak to you about." Thranduil's eyebrows raised again.
"Yes, it would seem that there are many important matters for me to attend to today. What might this one be about?"
"A village that was burned."
Thranduil looked surprised and glanced at his son. "Indeed, that is what Legolas has come to speak to me about." Legolas and Esgalan looked at each other.
"How is it that you came to see it, Esglan, Erin and I did not see you there."
Esgalan nodded. "I took the right path that went up to the cliff and I'm assuming that you took the left one that led to the village?" Legolas nodded at him.
"Well then," Thranduil began. "Perhaps you have more information for us, Esgalan?"
"Indeed, I do. Since Prince Legolas saw it from the ground he most likely could not have seen the way the town was burned. It was-" Esgalan seemed reluctant to continue. He looked into the King's eyes and Thranduil looked back at him , his eyes intense.
"The town was-" Esgalan began again. "It was burning in the shape of an eye, sire."
Thranduil was visibly shaken.
"What did you say?" he asked, his tone dangerous.
"It was burning in the shape of an eye."
Legolas looked at his father. "Sauron was destroyed, was he not?"
Thranduil did not answer, but looked down, his mind working. It couldn't be, could it? He prayed that it had not come so soon.
"No, it can't be them," he whispered.
"Who, father?"
Thranduil looked up at Legolas startled. He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh it's nothing."
The door to the throne room opened again and Thranduil looked up. Had someone ELSE seen the burning village as well?? Erin walked slowly and shakily into the room, her face pale.
"You highness?" came her timid voice.
Thranduil looked at her sternly. "Yes?"
"I know who it was that did it."
He looked at her skeptically. "Oh? And how did you come by this knowledge?"
Erin looked down. "When I woke up in the forest- I- I came across a village that had been attacked. The villagers looked at me and said that I did it. They said that I had the same eye scar and asked me where my sword was. I didn't know what they were talking about. Later when I was traveling through the woods I found........ Shinta's mom...... and there was a woman there. She had a sword and red eyes. She asked where Efalu was and Ilthilien told her that she didn't know. She was going to kill Shinta but I stopped her and she told me her name."
Thranduil looked at her, his mind praying that she did not what he feared.
"She said that her name was Luvair."
Thranduil's face slackened and he bowed his head, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.
"It is as I feared."
Legolas looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about father?"
"I must tell you all, now, what the people of Middle Earth have feared for so long. None have spoken of it since it happened."
Now all three in the room were curious.
"I had hoped that this day would never come, but it seems that it has. I had started to suspect such when Erin arrived after her 'death'. Everything matches the order in which it will happen."
Thranduil looked up at Legolas, his eyes full of sorrow. "Legolas, my son, I'm afraid that I have to tell a story that will hurt you. It is about Ladhwen."
Legolas stiffened and Erin looked down. "Esgalan," Thranduil said. "Fetch Avarion and Glorfindel." Esgalan ran from the room to carry out the order.
Erin and Legolas waited in the tense silence that filled the room until Esgalan came back a few minutes later will the aforementioned Elves at his side.
"You called for us, your highness?" Glorfindel asked.
"Yes, I called you here because you must also hear this tale, for it involves both of you." The Elves looked at him quizzically.
"I'm sure that you both remember the war of the Eleven?" Thranduil asked. The reaction was immediate. Both Avarion and Glorfindel jumped when it was mention.
"You reactions would suggest that you do." Thranduil said, continuing his story. "Luvair has returned."
Both of the Elves paled while Erin, Legolas, and Esgalan looked at them, confused.
"Are you sure, sire?" Avarion asked.
"Yes., I believe it to be so. A village was burned in the shape of an eye and Erin came upon the woman that killed Ilthilien who carried a sword and called herself Luvair."
Glorfindel looked down in thought. "What will we do?" he asked after a moment.
"First, I must tell these three the truth about what really happened to Ladhwen." Thranduil stood and paced the floor for a moment before he finally began.
"It began with Eleven women. Enhikari, Silei, Alotica, Efalu, Sicatifla, Luvair, Envituri, Estaia, Silota, Flolenia, and Aloluca. They were tortured by the race of men for having certain........ gifts, and were outcasts amongst their own kind, the Elves. It came to be that they gathered, drawn to one another in their likeness. What most do not know however, was that they allied themselves with Sauron. They were able to gather a large army and waged war on Middle Earth while Sauron watched from the shadows, inactive.
"Their army grew larger and soon it seemed that the war might not be won by us, but after a victory in which five of their number perished. Luvair lived. Around that time Ladhwen came to the forest and befriended you, Legolas, and soon you came to love her. I'm not entirely sure about what happened after that, but all I know is that Luvair created a creature, a dark creature, and that is what killed Ladhwen that day."
Legolas looked shocked and tried to absorb all of the information that he was being given. Thranduil turned to Erin.
"Erin, if I recall correctly there was a dark creature that held no shape and pursued you and your companions through the woods."
Erin nodded, a frown upon her face. "Yes, I encountered it only moments after I arrived here." Thranduil nodded solemnly.
"It would seem that the creature still pursues you, somehow it knows that you have Ladhwen's soul."
Erin looked shocked as did all the others who stared at her.
"After Luvair created this creature and it killed Ladhwen the rest of the "Eleven" became very angry with her. To this day I do not know why, but Luvair was not supposed to kill her. They turned on Luviar and intended to kill her, but as legend tells, Luvair's hatred at being betrayed consumed her and she killed all of her friends. The armies of Middle Earth became aware that there was only one left and so they joined forces to defeat her. Luvair knew that she could not defeat them all and so in order to protect herself she sealed herself away. Now Luvair is back, and so, in a way, is Ladhwen."
All eyes turned to Erin once again and she felt heat rising in her cheeks.
"I do not know what your purpose is, Erin, but I know that you must play some part or you would not be alive now."
Avarion looked up at Thranduil. "Then what are we to do your highness?"
Thranduil looked at him, his eyes full of sadness, anger, desperation, and weariness. "There is one person who can tell us. Only one person who can tell us what not even Galadriel can. You must find Alotica the Fair, one of the Eleven."
"But you said that they all perished except for Luvair," Esgalan said.
"Aye, they did," Thranduil said. "But they will be reincarnated just as Erin has been."
"So," Erin asked timidly. "Alotica is alive?"
"Yes, and you all must find her."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Erin asked.
"She lives deep in the Firien Wood."
"How did you know about her?" Erin asked, the questions rising in her mind too quickly for her to voice them all.
"She was the first of the Eleven to be reborn and a day came when memories of her past life surfaced. She came to me and told me of an event that was to come. I did not believe her at first, but slowly, over time, certain things that she had warned me about began to happen. Sauron reemerged as did the ring, then Sauron was defeated. She told me of all of this. She is the only one who can tell you what really happened so long ago.
"I am sending you all together to find her. I send you, Avarion, and Glorfindel because you have fought the Eleven before, and therefore, you know more of what to expect than these three. You must protect them and help them through this journey. You all must find her swiftly, for I fear for the fate of Middle Earth if Luvair has, indeed, returned. If she has then she will begin to build an army again and she will do it quickly. You leave tomorrow morning."
The five companions nodded in stunned silence then left the room slowly, leaving to prepare their things for their departure in the morning.
