Chapter Two: The Message
The guard at the gates of Mirkwood's capital city strained his ears to pick up the sound of hooves that was approaching. The sound grew steadily louder until the horse and rider entered the clearing.
"~Who goes there?~" The rider dismounted. His face and much of his body was hidden by the cloak that he wore over his clothes, but from what the guard could see, his clothes were in the style of the Elves of Imladris, therefore clearly stating where he was from or at least where he had been previously.
"~I carry news that is meant for the ears of the King only. And yes, to answer your question, I hail from Imladris.~" The guard almost let his mouth hang open. He had not said that about his clothes aloud, had he? The rider shifted impatiently. "~I must see the king! I carry important news from Lord Elrond Peredhil that cannot be delayed!~" The guard cleared his throat.
"~I am afraid that cannot happen, my lord. There was recently an attack on King Thranduil and all visitors are asked to submit to a search before they are granted an audience.~"
"~So search me! And make it fast, this cannot wait!~"
"~Right this way my lord.~" Unseen by the guard the rider smiled.~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"~Prince Legolas, an Elf-lord from Imladris to see your father. He says it is important.~" Legolas turned from the window and looked at the stranger. He shifted as the prince took in his appearance, and the cloak he wore opened a bit and the gleam of metal was seen for an instant.
"~Since when do riders from Imladris come cloaked so their faces remain unseen?~"
"~Since I carry information that would be valuable to enemies. I believe the word is 'camouflage', your highness.~"
"~And of course you realize that you will have to be searched? If you would be so kind as to remove your cloak and your weapons...~" The stranger coughed lightly and unclasped his cloak and pulled it away from his face, revealing, not an Elf-lord, but an Elf maiden with long red hair and violet eyes. As she looked up her eyes locked with those of the Prince. Both felt something inside them stirring, a strange feeling of completion. The guard merely stared. The prince blinked a few times, breaking the gaze of those eyes and said,
"~Let me rephrase my earlier question: Since when are riders from Imladris female? Now the cloak is understandable.~"
"~And I would tell you that I carry important news and that my business is my own, be you a prince or no. But surely you know of me? Lord Elrond has told me that both Mirkwood and Lorien were informed of my arrival. You have heard the legend of the spirit-elf, have you not?~"
"~You are she? But why have you risked the perils of Mirkwood forest, my lady? It is not safe for one such as you to travel alone in lands such as these!~" It was the guard who spoke now. He received a glare from the Prince and a half smile from the maiden.
"~I am quite sure the lady has been trained in the arts of weaponry. I sincerely doubt that Lord Elrond would have let her come alone otherwise.~" At that moment the door opened and the king himself came out.
"~What is all this- Nienna! When did you arrive?~"
"~Only a few moments ago, your highness. I regret not having attended the summer festival as I promised on my last visit, but I was caught up in other things. Some of which have something to do with my visit now.~"
"~Very well, come in. Legolas, you may come as well. Unless you do not wish for him to come?~" This last part was directed at Nienna. She glanced at Legolas and replied,
"~No, he should come. Is there any way to make sure that no one will hear?~"
"~Every precaution has been taken into perspective. My study is absolutely safe. There is no way anyone could listen in without being seen by the guard or by us.~" She nodded, satisfied. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A few minutes later, the three of them were sitting in Thranduil's study. Nienna was sitting across from Thranduil, who was behind his desk, and beside Legolas. She glanced again at the door, uneasy, and began.
"~You do, of course, know of the One Ring?~" She paused, waiting for them to nod. She sighed. "~There is no easy way to put this. It seems that the One Ring has been uncovered, found after all these years. My father, Lord Elrond, has called a meeting of the peoples of Middle Earth to decide what is to be done. Messengers have been sent to Gondor and the Lonely Mountain as well as here.~" Both King and Prince looked stunned. Thranduil was the first to come to his senses.
"~When was it found? Where is it now?~"
"~I am quite sure you remember the incident almost eight decades ago? When Dwarves were found in the forest, and they escaped seemingly impossibly, and then the Battle of Five Armies?~" Once again she paused to let him nod. "~Did you ever find out how the Dwarves escaped?~" This time the King shook his head, still staring at her. "~There was a Halfling, Bilbo Baggins, among them, and he had something, a ring that could make him invisible if he put it on. He had found it in a cave, days before the Dwarves were captured. That ring was the One. It has lain in hiding in the Shire for almost eighty years, and has now been discovered.~" The silence was unbelievably strong.
"~But how is this possible? Surely Sauron would have found it by now?~" Legolas' voice broke the silence. Nienna shook her head.
"~He is aware of it, but has no knowledge of it's location. The Nine were sent out, they were at the Shire and Frodo, the current bearer of the Ring, was stabbed by a Morgul blade on his way to Imladris. My father and sister healed him.~" The king broke in then.
"~Unfortunately, I cannot leave the kingdom, but perhaps Legolas would go to the Council in my stead. I would trust no one else.~" He nodded to Nienna and the Prince. "~You two may leave now. I will send a message to Lord Elrond informing him of your arrival, Nienna, and that Legolas will be going. Legolas, if you would show Nienna to a room, and escort her to dinner tonight?~"
"~Of course father.~" Nienna stood and bowed, then left following the Prince.~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Later that afternoon, Nienna was at the archery fields. Legolas had taken her to the armoury, showing no surprise at her request to practice. The bow she had now was dark brown, close to as tall as she was and had the Crest of Mirkwood on the leather grip. Barely concentrating, she drew an arrow and shot. It hit the center of the target. She sighed. Seeing Legolas might not have been the best thing. It would have happened eventually, she would have had to think of it soon anyway, but she wished she had had time to be more prepared.~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
*Flashback dream sequence*
~The screech of tires skidding across the pavement woke her, just in time to see the car go over.~
~ "I'm sorry. They're gone. There was nothing we could do.'~
~Music, his favorite song. "It's getting dark, too dark to see. Feel like I'm knockin on Heaven's door. Knock knock knockin on Heaven's door, knock knock knockin on Heavens door..."~
~The two girls clung to each other, crying as the three coffins were lowered. The older girl was trying hard to comfort her younger sister.~
~ "I NEVER liked you. You and your mind tricks and all that creepy stuff. And being the smartest in the class, that was the only reason I even pretended. Couldn't you have at least noticed I was with Kim?" ~
~ "I hate him, I hate him! Why now?" She was crying now, not as hard as earlier but crying. "Today he had to do that. I hate him!"~
~His face, so much like Legolas'. The same blue eyes, the same blond hair but shorter. The difference lay in their expressions. He never actually smiled, and when he did, his eyes were still cold, cold as ice.~
~ "~The Spirit Elves are special creatures. The story is this: When an Elf is killed or dies of a broken heart, the only way one can die, their spirits are brought to the Halls of Mandos. Now, the legend says that once, a long time ago, two Elven spirits were given the chance of another life. They were taken to another world, and were joined onto the bodies of newborns of that world. The children, when they grew up, were destined to meet and fall in love. Their first child was a full-blooded Elf, but it's senses were dulled and it's ears hidden while it resided on that earth. On it's fifteenth birthday, it was transported to the land of it's parents. You are that child Jessie~" ~
~ "~I give you the name Nienna, after she of the Valier.~" Many wondered at his wisdom at this. Why give the girl the name of the Valier of sadness and grief? But if he had his reasons for naming his foster daughter so, so be it.~
*End*
Nienna woke with a start. The sky was still mostly midnight blue, but tinged with pink in the East. She shivered. Those dreams again. She hadn't had them for almost two hundred years now. Why did they come back now? And why did she feel so strange?~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
A/N: And, chapter two re-written and done. The song mentioned in there is Avril Lavigne's version of Bob Dylan's 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' for those of you that don't know. Story not making sense? It will. Believe me. The bunch of flashbacks are sort of a clue to Nienna's former life, and her naming and the legend concerning her, and no names are to be mentioned just yet. Review people, I need to know who's reading!
The guard at the gates of Mirkwood's capital city strained his ears to pick up the sound of hooves that was approaching. The sound grew steadily louder until the horse and rider entered the clearing.
"~Who goes there?~" The rider dismounted. His face and much of his body was hidden by the cloak that he wore over his clothes, but from what the guard could see, his clothes were in the style of the Elves of Imladris, therefore clearly stating where he was from or at least where he had been previously.
"~I carry news that is meant for the ears of the King only. And yes, to answer your question, I hail from Imladris.~" The guard almost let his mouth hang open. He had not said that about his clothes aloud, had he? The rider shifted impatiently. "~I must see the king! I carry important news from Lord Elrond Peredhil that cannot be delayed!~" The guard cleared his throat.
"~I am afraid that cannot happen, my lord. There was recently an attack on King Thranduil and all visitors are asked to submit to a search before they are granted an audience.~"
"~So search me! And make it fast, this cannot wait!~"
"~Right this way my lord.~" Unseen by the guard the rider smiled.~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"~Prince Legolas, an Elf-lord from Imladris to see your father. He says it is important.~" Legolas turned from the window and looked at the stranger. He shifted as the prince took in his appearance, and the cloak he wore opened a bit and the gleam of metal was seen for an instant.
"~Since when do riders from Imladris come cloaked so their faces remain unseen?~"
"~Since I carry information that would be valuable to enemies. I believe the word is 'camouflage', your highness.~"
"~And of course you realize that you will have to be searched? If you would be so kind as to remove your cloak and your weapons...~" The stranger coughed lightly and unclasped his cloak and pulled it away from his face, revealing, not an Elf-lord, but an Elf maiden with long red hair and violet eyes. As she looked up her eyes locked with those of the Prince. Both felt something inside them stirring, a strange feeling of completion. The guard merely stared. The prince blinked a few times, breaking the gaze of those eyes and said,
"~Let me rephrase my earlier question: Since when are riders from Imladris female? Now the cloak is understandable.~"
"~And I would tell you that I carry important news and that my business is my own, be you a prince or no. But surely you know of me? Lord Elrond has told me that both Mirkwood and Lorien were informed of my arrival. You have heard the legend of the spirit-elf, have you not?~"
"~You are she? But why have you risked the perils of Mirkwood forest, my lady? It is not safe for one such as you to travel alone in lands such as these!~" It was the guard who spoke now. He received a glare from the Prince and a half smile from the maiden.
"~I am quite sure the lady has been trained in the arts of weaponry. I sincerely doubt that Lord Elrond would have let her come alone otherwise.~" At that moment the door opened and the king himself came out.
"~What is all this- Nienna! When did you arrive?~"
"~Only a few moments ago, your highness. I regret not having attended the summer festival as I promised on my last visit, but I was caught up in other things. Some of which have something to do with my visit now.~"
"~Very well, come in. Legolas, you may come as well. Unless you do not wish for him to come?~" This last part was directed at Nienna. She glanced at Legolas and replied,
"~No, he should come. Is there any way to make sure that no one will hear?~"
"~Every precaution has been taken into perspective. My study is absolutely safe. There is no way anyone could listen in without being seen by the guard or by us.~" She nodded, satisfied. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A few minutes later, the three of them were sitting in Thranduil's study. Nienna was sitting across from Thranduil, who was behind his desk, and beside Legolas. She glanced again at the door, uneasy, and began.
"~You do, of course, know of the One Ring?~" She paused, waiting for them to nod. She sighed. "~There is no easy way to put this. It seems that the One Ring has been uncovered, found after all these years. My father, Lord Elrond, has called a meeting of the peoples of Middle Earth to decide what is to be done. Messengers have been sent to Gondor and the Lonely Mountain as well as here.~" Both King and Prince looked stunned. Thranduil was the first to come to his senses.
"~When was it found? Where is it now?~"
"~I am quite sure you remember the incident almost eight decades ago? When Dwarves were found in the forest, and they escaped seemingly impossibly, and then the Battle of Five Armies?~" Once again she paused to let him nod. "~Did you ever find out how the Dwarves escaped?~" This time the King shook his head, still staring at her. "~There was a Halfling, Bilbo Baggins, among them, and he had something, a ring that could make him invisible if he put it on. He had found it in a cave, days before the Dwarves were captured. That ring was the One. It has lain in hiding in the Shire for almost eighty years, and has now been discovered.~" The silence was unbelievably strong.
"~But how is this possible? Surely Sauron would have found it by now?~" Legolas' voice broke the silence. Nienna shook her head.
"~He is aware of it, but has no knowledge of it's location. The Nine were sent out, they were at the Shire and Frodo, the current bearer of the Ring, was stabbed by a Morgul blade on his way to Imladris. My father and sister healed him.~" The king broke in then.
"~Unfortunately, I cannot leave the kingdom, but perhaps Legolas would go to the Council in my stead. I would trust no one else.~" He nodded to Nienna and the Prince. "~You two may leave now. I will send a message to Lord Elrond informing him of your arrival, Nienna, and that Legolas will be going. Legolas, if you would show Nienna to a room, and escort her to dinner tonight?~"
"~Of course father.~" Nienna stood and bowed, then left following the Prince.~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Later that afternoon, Nienna was at the archery fields. Legolas had taken her to the armoury, showing no surprise at her request to practice. The bow she had now was dark brown, close to as tall as she was and had the Crest of Mirkwood on the leather grip. Barely concentrating, she drew an arrow and shot. It hit the center of the target. She sighed. Seeing Legolas might not have been the best thing. It would have happened eventually, she would have had to think of it soon anyway, but she wished she had had time to be more prepared.~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
*Flashback dream sequence*
~The screech of tires skidding across the pavement woke her, just in time to see the car go over.~
~ "I'm sorry. They're gone. There was nothing we could do.'~
~Music, his favorite song. "It's getting dark, too dark to see. Feel like I'm knockin on Heaven's door. Knock knock knockin on Heaven's door, knock knock knockin on Heavens door..."~
~The two girls clung to each other, crying as the three coffins were lowered. The older girl was trying hard to comfort her younger sister.~
~ "I NEVER liked you. You and your mind tricks and all that creepy stuff. And being the smartest in the class, that was the only reason I even pretended. Couldn't you have at least noticed I was with Kim?" ~
~ "I hate him, I hate him! Why now?" She was crying now, not as hard as earlier but crying. "Today he had to do that. I hate him!"~
~His face, so much like Legolas'. The same blue eyes, the same blond hair but shorter. The difference lay in their expressions. He never actually smiled, and when he did, his eyes were still cold, cold as ice.~
~ "~The Spirit Elves are special creatures. The story is this: When an Elf is killed or dies of a broken heart, the only way one can die, their spirits are brought to the Halls of Mandos. Now, the legend says that once, a long time ago, two Elven spirits were given the chance of another life. They were taken to another world, and were joined onto the bodies of newborns of that world. The children, when they grew up, were destined to meet and fall in love. Their first child was a full-blooded Elf, but it's senses were dulled and it's ears hidden while it resided on that earth. On it's fifteenth birthday, it was transported to the land of it's parents. You are that child Jessie~" ~
~ "~I give you the name Nienna, after she of the Valier.~" Many wondered at his wisdom at this. Why give the girl the name of the Valier of sadness and grief? But if he had his reasons for naming his foster daughter so, so be it.~
*End*
Nienna woke with a start. The sky was still mostly midnight blue, but tinged with pink in the East. She shivered. Those dreams again. She hadn't had them for almost two hundred years now. Why did they come back now? And why did she feel so strange?~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
A/N: And, chapter two re-written and done. The song mentioned in there is Avril Lavigne's version of Bob Dylan's 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' for those of you that don't know. Story not making sense? It will. Believe me. The bunch of flashbacks are sort of a clue to Nienna's former life, and her naming and the legend concerning her, and no names are to be mentioned just yet. Review people, I need to know who's reading!