(A/N)Thank you all of my luvly little reviewers. Zammy, thanks for being my
first reviewer. Jennifer, thanks for reviewing. And thanks for siding with
me. Elfobsession2931, is your opinion of me really that high, or do you
just want me to update? :) Don't take me seriously. I'm just messing with
ya. Arwen721, thanks for reviewing. Well, I hope I didn't keep you waiting
for too long. And now, I give you....................
Ithryn Luin
Chapter 2: Buried in the Past
"Three...two...one...ready or not, HERE I COME!" Juneau's voice rang out through the forests of Ithilien.
It was ten years to the day since the ring bearers had passed over the sea. Juneau was just short of her twelfth birthday, which would come in a few weeks time. But the celebration was being held early.
King Elessar of Gondor and Arnor, and Eomer, King of Rohan had recently returned from wars in the south. They had been gone for nearly eight months and Faramir, Eowyn, Legolas, Queen Arwen, and Queen Lothiriel had joined forces and planned a grand welcome home celebration for them. It had begun when the two kings had led their forces back to Minas Tirith. Celebrating there had lasted for nearly a week, for great victories had been won against the lingering servants of Sauron. Now the company had moved to Ithilien, domain of Faramir, Steward of Gondor and Lady Eowyn. Now they celebrated Juneau's coming birthday and the announcement that the Lady Falynn, Juneau's mother, was again with child.
But Juneau was young and impatient. She was easily bored with all of the royal protocal that had to be observed before the real feasting could begin. So she had stolen away from the party in the city with her two best friends, Eldarion and Elfwine.
Eldarion was the first-born son of King Elessar and Queen Arwen. He was only a few months younger than Juneau. From the time that Eldarion had been born, he and Juneau had been almost inseperable. The third member of this trio was Elfwine, son of King Eomer and Queen Lothiriel. He was nearly two years younger than Eldarion. At first he had only been friendly with Eldarion, mistrusting Juneau because she was halfelven and a girl. But as time passed the three had become very close. Now whenever the three were brought together, one was never seen without the other two. To many people of Gondor and Rohan, their friendship was a great symbol of the bond that men and Elves had shared long ago in the Elder Days.
But these three friends cared not for what others made of their friendship. To them, life was a game to be played. Who had time to waste on all of those silly rituals and laws? At the moment they were playing a form of tag.
It was more a game of stealth than anything else. The seeker would count backwards from twenty and the other two would hide in the forest. It was also much more complicated than simply tagging one of the hiders. The seeker would have to knock down one of the hiders in order to win. And if the seeker was knocked down first, the penalty was being "it" again.
Elfwine was still small and a bit clumsy. So Eldarion and Juneau would usually let him alone. This game was more of an ongoing contest between the two of them. They were often times equally matched. Juneau possessed the grace and sharp senses of an Elf. And this time around they were playing on her home ground, so she had the upper hand. But she was still young and untrained in matters of hand-to-hand combat. Whereas Eldarion, at eleven, was already becoming skilled in them, being a son of a former captain of Rangers.
At the moment, Juneau was standing aloft in the branches of a tall tree, gazing down upon the forest. She searched the ground thoroughly for any sign of either of the boys. Her eyes quickly picked out Elfwine, hidden in a thicket of yearling trees. She let him be rather than leap down after him. Eldarion was her true quary. he was actually presenting her with quite a challenge now. He was getting much better.
Juneau lept silently from her perch to land softly upon a branch in the next tree over. For a few moments she stood with her eyes closed, listening for any sign that Eldarion was near her.
Suddenly she heard a crack from behind her, and the whistle of an arrow through the air. Juneau tilted her head sharply to the right and the arrow brushed past her ear. She watched as the arrow collided with a nearby tree and snapped in half as it fell to the ground. It was not a real arrow that could do any harm. The tip was blunted. If it had hit her it would have simply knocked her from the tree and she would have lost.
As she stared at the broken arrow shaft she spoke.
"You are getting better, Prince of Gondor."
With that, she turned to face her foe. Her eyes met Eldarion, balanced precariously in a tree behind hers.
"You think so, Lady of Ithilien." he said with a smirk. "Let us see if you speak with such a haughty air when I have you pinned to the ground, begging for mercy."
"Get used to disapointment, Eldarion." Juneau purred as she lept lightly to his branch.
Eldarion kept his footing as she walked easily towards him. Something he would not have been able to do in the past. He really was getting better. She jostled the branch just slightly, but he still managed to stay standing. Now Juneau was getting worried.
By now, Elfwine had run from his hiding place to watch the battle in the tree tops.
"Careful, Juneau! I think he may have you this time!" Elfwine called up to her.
"Not on your life, Elfwine! I'll bring him down yet!" she called back, dropping her guard for just a moment.
That moment of distraction was all it took. Eldarion fitted another blunted arrow to the toy bow he carried and took aim. This time Juneau was not able to dodge. The arrow struck her in the chest and sent her tumbling to the forest floor. She hit with a thump and lay still. A grimace of pain was splayed across her face.
"Juneau!" Eldarion called out as he jumped from the tree. He landed clumsily by her side.
"Juneau, are you all right?" he asked worriedly as he shook her.
Instantly the grimace left her face and she was laughing hysterically. She leapt up and knocked Eldarion to his back. She jumped on top of him and jammed her fist into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. As he struggled to regain his breath she leaned her face closer to his. Her long, black hair fell down around her shoulders, forming a curtain around Eldarion's face.
"You may have defeated me this time, but it is I who has the last laugh. Do not be too confident of your abilities. The next time I shall bring you down." she whispered in his ear.
"Will you never be satisfied, Juneau?" he whispered right back.
"Never." she answered.
"All right, you two. Eldarion has won. You can stop being so serious. Let's play again." Elfwine said as he went to pull Juneau off of Eldarion.
"I'm getting tired of this game. Let's play something else." Eldarion suggested.
Suddenly familiar voices sounded in the distance.
"JUNEAU! ELDARION! ELFWINE!" Legolas's voice echoed through the forest.
"COME BACK! YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT TO WONDER OFF INTO THE FOREST BY YOURSELVES!" Faramir's voice chorused with the Elf Prince.
"Well, we're in for an ear-full. Since we are already in trouble, why don't we play keep away from the parents?" Juneau suggested playfully.
In response, Eldarion and Elfwine fled deeper into the forest. Juneau was hot on their heels. She had only run a few meters when she realized that it would do no good to leave tracks for her father to follow.
Without hesitation she grabbed a low branch and swung herself up into the trees. She swung gracefully after her two friends. Eldarion finally realized where she was and climbed up after her. Together they followed behind Elfwine. Juneau slowed her pace to allow Eldarion to keep up with her.
"Elfwine, up here. Climb the trees. They can follow your trail down there." Eldarion called softly to him.
Elfwine quickly scambled up the tree with them. The young boy could not leap from tree to tree like Juneau and Eldarion so they remained in the same tree. Not long after, Faramir and Legolas passed beneath them. Faramir payed them no heed and continued the search. But Legolas knelt down beneath the tree where Elfwine's footprints came to a stop. A brief smile crossed his face but he did not look up. He followed after Faramir.
Still young enough to believe that they had escaped the adults, the three climbed down from the tree.
"They did not see us. So where to next?" Elfwine asked excitedly.
Juneau was about to answer when a horrible shriek filled the air. A sound that had not been heard in Middle Earth for nearly twelve years.
Suddenly a great black figure burst forth from the trees. It came swiftly towards Juneau and knocked her to the forest floor. It hovered over her, it's breath hissing in and out. Eldarion and Elfwine were both too terrified to move.
For a moment Juneau just lay there in shock. But as the creature drew closer to her it seemed to her that her blood had turned to ice. Her screams suddenly pierced the chilled silence of the forest.
This did not deter the creature. It was all robed in deepest black. It carried a sword at it's side. The very metal of this sword radiated evil. No face could be seen within the depths of the creature's hood. No living cry for mercy could melt this being's will. It simply shrieked again. That terrifying, ear-splitting shriek that could shatter the very air.
Juneau fell silent as the creature drew its sword. It held the blade directly above the girl's beating heart.
"Rise." the creature hissed in a raspy voice. All the while the blade was held to Juneau's chest.
Frightened into submission, Juneau obeyed without question.
"What do you want with me?" Juneau asked in a terrified whisper.
"You must come with me. The time has come."
Eldarion suddenly regained his courage and took a step, unarmed, in the direction of the black creature.
"You'll not harm her." he challenged in a slightly high voice.
Without even turning to look at the prince, the creature raised it's hand and Eldarion went flying backwards into a nearby tree. Elfwine ran to his fallen friend and tried to help him stand. But Eldarion's leg had been broken in the crash.
"You monster!" Juneau rounded on the creature angrily.
"If you will not come voluntarily, then-"Without even bothering to finish it's threat, the creature drove it's sword into Juneau's right shoulder.
She fell back to the ground, clutching the bleeding wound and screaming in pain.
The creature knelt over her once more and lifted her off of the ground with ease.
"JUNEAU!!" Elfwine cried out in horror as the creature began to walk away with the Elf girl in its arms. Eldarion was unconscious by now.
Suddenly the black figure faltered and Elfwine realized that there was an arrow protruding from it's back. The young prince turned to see Legolas and Faramir come running.
Just as Legolas was about to release another arrow, the creature gave one final shriek and vanished into thin air, dropping Juneau as it went.
Legolas rushed to his fallen daughter and lifted her head into his arms. Her gaze was bleak and unfocused and her face was as pale as death. The blood that bloomed from the wound in her shoulder was staining her green tunic a sickening burgundy color. But one thing that confused Legolas was that the area where the blade had struck her seemed to be covered with living ice. Already, her world was going black from the pain of the wound.
She looked up at him and whispered in a confused voice. "Ada?"
"It as all right, Juneau. It is over. I'm here. You will be fine." he whispered soothingly to her, trying his best not to loose his composure. She needed calm from him right now.
"What was that?" Elfwine asked Faramir as the Steward checked over Eldarion's limp body.
"I am not certain. I have an idea, but I do not think that it is possible." Faramir said as he turned to Legolas. "Eldarion's leg is broken, and he is unconscious. Elfwine seems to be unhurt. How fares Juneau?"
"That.......creature stabbed her. She is also unconscious. We must get her back to Minas Ithil or the wound could be fatal." Legolas said worriedly as he lifted Juneau from the ground.
Faramir hoisted Eldarion up from the forest floor and followed Legolas back in the direction of the city of Minas Ithil. Elfwine quickly gathered the broken pieces of Eldarion's toy bow and followed after them.
* * *
Later that evening, Elfwine stood outside the doors to the sick wing, waiting to hear news of his friends. Their parents were within tending to the two of them. Though Elfwine could not really understand what was being said, the tone of their voices frightened him.
"What was this creature that attacked them in the forest?" Aragorn sternly asked Legolas and Faramir.
"My Lord......it was......I am loath to say it." Faramir said hesitantly.
"Speak, Faramir. We must know, so that we may rid Ithilien of it." Aragorn said urgently.
"It was......a wraith. One of the Nine." Faramir whispered.
"But how is that possible? They are destroyed." Queen Lothiriel wondered aloud.
"Only, Aragorn, I do not believe that it was a real Nazgul. If it was, then Legolas' arrow would have had no effect on it. But it did." he added.
"That is true. Besides, this wound in Juneau's shoulder is not like that from a morgul blade. Yet it is somehow different from a regular sword wound." Aragorn said softly.
"How is that?" Falynn asked him.
"When I washed her shoulder in order for it to be bandaged I noticed something strange. The place where the blade pierced her seemed to be covered with ice. The very blood seemed frozen. And when I started to wash that away and the ice touched my own skin I felt as if I had thrust my hand into a flame. My hand is still bloodless from it." Aragorn recounted.
"That is indeed strange, my friend. The like has never been seen in Rohan." Eomer said.
"Nor any of my realms." Aragorn told him.
"Nothing like it has ever been seen in Middle-Earth, as far as I know. We could get a message to my brothers in Rivendell and see if my father ever spoke of anything of this nature." Arwen suggested as she stood up from Eldarion's hospital bed.
"Legolas, do you think it could be.........the Ithryn Luin?" Falynn suddenly asked her husband, recalling the old warning and fear from the past.
Legolas had not spoken this whole time. He was sitting on the edge of his daughter's bed, holding her ice-cold hand. Finally he looked up from her pale face. His eyes were filled with rage.
"That could be the answer. But I care not what has done this. I only want to see it dead, this creature that has hurt my daughter."
"Do not be too hasty, mellon nin. If you rush off you may end up getting hurt. But, Falynn, what are these Ithryn Luin that you speak of?" Aragorn asked Falynn.
"It is something that Gandalf warned me of the day he departed over the sea. He said that they wanted Juneau dead. That they wanted Legolas and I to suffer. He never explained why. I have never met any Blue Wizards and I do not see why they would want revenge against us. Neither does Legolas." Falynn recounted in a hushed tone.
"This is ill news, indeed. That some strange bounty hunter is after Juneau. What shall we do with her until this thing is captured? Keep her locked in doors?" Faramir suggested.
"No! I will not keep my daughter locked away like some wild animal." Falynn replied fiercely.
"But you should at least make sure that she does not wonder alone anymore, as she is known to do. It is not safe." Lady Eowyn spoke up.
"I will make sure that she at least has a guard at all times. But I will not lock her up. For all we know it make take years to solve this mystery. Besides, this creature is not dangerous to Juneau alone. It attacked Eldarion, after all." Falynn said.
"But only because the boy stood in it's way. I talked to my son, Elfwine. He told me everything. The creature ignored him and Eldarion. The only reason that it turned on Eldarion was because he tried to stop it from harming Juneau." Eomer said.
"There is nothing more to be done tonight. I suggest that we all take some rest." Faramir said gently.
As he spoke, Eowyn rose to join him. The two of them headed towards the doors. When they stepped out into the corridor, they saw Elfwine scrambling away down the hall.
"Eomer, I beleive we have a spy on our hands." Eowyn said with a laugh.
Eomer and Lothiriel appeared at the doors just in time to see their son vanish through one of the doors at the end of the hallway. Lothiriel smiled slightly. But Eomer looked worried.
"He should not have heard any of that. I will speak to him later. Elfwine shouldn't go around eavesdropping on private conversations." he said sternly.
"Really, my brother, you are too harsh with the boy." Eowyn sighed as the four of them left for their own chambers.
Legolas, Falynn, Arwen, and Aragorn lingered in the room for awhile longer.
"Eldarion should recover quickly. But I am not sure about Juneau. That wound may take a long while to heal." Aragorn said softly to Legolas and Falynn.
"But she will recover?" Falynn asked.
"Yes...of course." he whispered as he turned and walked silently from the room.
Arwen went to her son and brushed his dark, brown hair from his face. She knelt over him and kissed his brow. Just as she was pulling away from him he woke up. For a moment he seemed confused. Then he realized that it was his mother standing over him.
"Mother. What happened? Where am I? Where's Juneau?" he tried to get up but he immediately fell back upon the bed.
"Just lie quiet now, Eldarion. Do not try to get up. Your leg has been broken. You are back in Minas Ithil. Juneau and Elfwine are fine." Arwen said in an attempt to calm her son.
Eldarion finally stopped struggling when he saw who was lying in the hospital bed next to his.
"Juneau." he whispered, horrified at her appearance. Her face was deathly pale and her breathing was shallow. The blanket was low enough that he could see the bandage on her shoulder. All of this, Eldarion took in with a simple glance.
"What did that thing do to her?"
"It stabbed her. The wound is deep, but your father believes that she will recover with time. For now you must rest." Arwen explained as she made her way to the doors.
Legolas registered none of this. He was still sitting next to Juneau, cursing himself for letting the three think that he had not seen them. His heart was numb and yet it blazed with secret rage.
"Legolas, come away. It will not help her if you get no rest." Falynn said as she pulled Legolas to his feet.
As the two left the room Falynn looked back at her daughter one last time. She felt as Legolas did but she knew that there was nothing more that could be done for Juneau. Aragorn had done what he could. The rest was up to her. Falynn had no doubt that Juneau would recover but she couldn't help worrying.
Just as soon as the three adults had left, Eldarion turned his gaze back to Juneau. Then he spoke to her as if she could here him in her comatose state.
"I'm so sorry, Juneau. I wasn't strong enough to protect you from that monster. But I will not fail again. I swear it." he promised her.
As he slid into darkness once again, a single tear fell from his eye.
It was the last time he would cry for many long years.
* * *
Ithryn Luin
Chapter 2: Buried in the Past
"Three...two...one...ready or not, HERE I COME!" Juneau's voice rang out through the forests of Ithilien.
It was ten years to the day since the ring bearers had passed over the sea. Juneau was just short of her twelfth birthday, which would come in a few weeks time. But the celebration was being held early.
King Elessar of Gondor and Arnor, and Eomer, King of Rohan had recently returned from wars in the south. They had been gone for nearly eight months and Faramir, Eowyn, Legolas, Queen Arwen, and Queen Lothiriel had joined forces and planned a grand welcome home celebration for them. It had begun when the two kings had led their forces back to Minas Tirith. Celebrating there had lasted for nearly a week, for great victories had been won against the lingering servants of Sauron. Now the company had moved to Ithilien, domain of Faramir, Steward of Gondor and Lady Eowyn. Now they celebrated Juneau's coming birthday and the announcement that the Lady Falynn, Juneau's mother, was again with child.
But Juneau was young and impatient. She was easily bored with all of the royal protocal that had to be observed before the real feasting could begin. So she had stolen away from the party in the city with her two best friends, Eldarion and Elfwine.
Eldarion was the first-born son of King Elessar and Queen Arwen. He was only a few months younger than Juneau. From the time that Eldarion had been born, he and Juneau had been almost inseperable. The third member of this trio was Elfwine, son of King Eomer and Queen Lothiriel. He was nearly two years younger than Eldarion. At first he had only been friendly with Eldarion, mistrusting Juneau because she was halfelven and a girl. But as time passed the three had become very close. Now whenever the three were brought together, one was never seen without the other two. To many people of Gondor and Rohan, their friendship was a great symbol of the bond that men and Elves had shared long ago in the Elder Days.
But these three friends cared not for what others made of their friendship. To them, life was a game to be played. Who had time to waste on all of those silly rituals and laws? At the moment they were playing a form of tag.
It was more a game of stealth than anything else. The seeker would count backwards from twenty and the other two would hide in the forest. It was also much more complicated than simply tagging one of the hiders. The seeker would have to knock down one of the hiders in order to win. And if the seeker was knocked down first, the penalty was being "it" again.
Elfwine was still small and a bit clumsy. So Eldarion and Juneau would usually let him alone. This game was more of an ongoing contest between the two of them. They were often times equally matched. Juneau possessed the grace and sharp senses of an Elf. And this time around they were playing on her home ground, so she had the upper hand. But she was still young and untrained in matters of hand-to-hand combat. Whereas Eldarion, at eleven, was already becoming skilled in them, being a son of a former captain of Rangers.
At the moment, Juneau was standing aloft in the branches of a tall tree, gazing down upon the forest. She searched the ground thoroughly for any sign of either of the boys. Her eyes quickly picked out Elfwine, hidden in a thicket of yearling trees. She let him be rather than leap down after him. Eldarion was her true quary. he was actually presenting her with quite a challenge now. He was getting much better.
Juneau lept silently from her perch to land softly upon a branch in the next tree over. For a few moments she stood with her eyes closed, listening for any sign that Eldarion was near her.
Suddenly she heard a crack from behind her, and the whistle of an arrow through the air. Juneau tilted her head sharply to the right and the arrow brushed past her ear. She watched as the arrow collided with a nearby tree and snapped in half as it fell to the ground. It was not a real arrow that could do any harm. The tip was blunted. If it had hit her it would have simply knocked her from the tree and she would have lost.
As she stared at the broken arrow shaft she spoke.
"You are getting better, Prince of Gondor."
With that, she turned to face her foe. Her eyes met Eldarion, balanced precariously in a tree behind hers.
"You think so, Lady of Ithilien." he said with a smirk. "Let us see if you speak with such a haughty air when I have you pinned to the ground, begging for mercy."
"Get used to disapointment, Eldarion." Juneau purred as she lept lightly to his branch.
Eldarion kept his footing as she walked easily towards him. Something he would not have been able to do in the past. He really was getting better. She jostled the branch just slightly, but he still managed to stay standing. Now Juneau was getting worried.
By now, Elfwine had run from his hiding place to watch the battle in the tree tops.
"Careful, Juneau! I think he may have you this time!" Elfwine called up to her.
"Not on your life, Elfwine! I'll bring him down yet!" she called back, dropping her guard for just a moment.
That moment of distraction was all it took. Eldarion fitted another blunted arrow to the toy bow he carried and took aim. This time Juneau was not able to dodge. The arrow struck her in the chest and sent her tumbling to the forest floor. She hit with a thump and lay still. A grimace of pain was splayed across her face.
"Juneau!" Eldarion called out as he jumped from the tree. He landed clumsily by her side.
"Juneau, are you all right?" he asked worriedly as he shook her.
Instantly the grimace left her face and she was laughing hysterically. She leapt up and knocked Eldarion to his back. She jumped on top of him and jammed her fist into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. As he struggled to regain his breath she leaned her face closer to his. Her long, black hair fell down around her shoulders, forming a curtain around Eldarion's face.
"You may have defeated me this time, but it is I who has the last laugh. Do not be too confident of your abilities. The next time I shall bring you down." she whispered in his ear.
"Will you never be satisfied, Juneau?" he whispered right back.
"Never." she answered.
"All right, you two. Eldarion has won. You can stop being so serious. Let's play again." Elfwine said as he went to pull Juneau off of Eldarion.
"I'm getting tired of this game. Let's play something else." Eldarion suggested.
Suddenly familiar voices sounded in the distance.
"JUNEAU! ELDARION! ELFWINE!" Legolas's voice echoed through the forest.
"COME BACK! YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT TO WONDER OFF INTO THE FOREST BY YOURSELVES!" Faramir's voice chorused with the Elf Prince.
"Well, we're in for an ear-full. Since we are already in trouble, why don't we play keep away from the parents?" Juneau suggested playfully.
In response, Eldarion and Elfwine fled deeper into the forest. Juneau was hot on their heels. She had only run a few meters when she realized that it would do no good to leave tracks for her father to follow.
Without hesitation she grabbed a low branch and swung herself up into the trees. She swung gracefully after her two friends. Eldarion finally realized where she was and climbed up after her. Together they followed behind Elfwine. Juneau slowed her pace to allow Eldarion to keep up with her.
"Elfwine, up here. Climb the trees. They can follow your trail down there." Eldarion called softly to him.
Elfwine quickly scambled up the tree with them. The young boy could not leap from tree to tree like Juneau and Eldarion so they remained in the same tree. Not long after, Faramir and Legolas passed beneath them. Faramir payed them no heed and continued the search. But Legolas knelt down beneath the tree where Elfwine's footprints came to a stop. A brief smile crossed his face but he did not look up. He followed after Faramir.
Still young enough to believe that they had escaped the adults, the three climbed down from the tree.
"They did not see us. So where to next?" Elfwine asked excitedly.
Juneau was about to answer when a horrible shriek filled the air. A sound that had not been heard in Middle Earth for nearly twelve years.
Suddenly a great black figure burst forth from the trees. It came swiftly towards Juneau and knocked her to the forest floor. It hovered over her, it's breath hissing in and out. Eldarion and Elfwine were both too terrified to move.
For a moment Juneau just lay there in shock. But as the creature drew closer to her it seemed to her that her blood had turned to ice. Her screams suddenly pierced the chilled silence of the forest.
This did not deter the creature. It was all robed in deepest black. It carried a sword at it's side. The very metal of this sword radiated evil. No face could be seen within the depths of the creature's hood. No living cry for mercy could melt this being's will. It simply shrieked again. That terrifying, ear-splitting shriek that could shatter the very air.
Juneau fell silent as the creature drew its sword. It held the blade directly above the girl's beating heart.
"Rise." the creature hissed in a raspy voice. All the while the blade was held to Juneau's chest.
Frightened into submission, Juneau obeyed without question.
"What do you want with me?" Juneau asked in a terrified whisper.
"You must come with me. The time has come."
Eldarion suddenly regained his courage and took a step, unarmed, in the direction of the black creature.
"You'll not harm her." he challenged in a slightly high voice.
Without even turning to look at the prince, the creature raised it's hand and Eldarion went flying backwards into a nearby tree. Elfwine ran to his fallen friend and tried to help him stand. But Eldarion's leg had been broken in the crash.
"You monster!" Juneau rounded on the creature angrily.
"If you will not come voluntarily, then-"Without even bothering to finish it's threat, the creature drove it's sword into Juneau's right shoulder.
She fell back to the ground, clutching the bleeding wound and screaming in pain.
The creature knelt over her once more and lifted her off of the ground with ease.
"JUNEAU!!" Elfwine cried out in horror as the creature began to walk away with the Elf girl in its arms. Eldarion was unconscious by now.
Suddenly the black figure faltered and Elfwine realized that there was an arrow protruding from it's back. The young prince turned to see Legolas and Faramir come running.
Just as Legolas was about to release another arrow, the creature gave one final shriek and vanished into thin air, dropping Juneau as it went.
Legolas rushed to his fallen daughter and lifted her head into his arms. Her gaze was bleak and unfocused and her face was as pale as death. The blood that bloomed from the wound in her shoulder was staining her green tunic a sickening burgundy color. But one thing that confused Legolas was that the area where the blade had struck her seemed to be covered with living ice. Already, her world was going black from the pain of the wound.
She looked up at him and whispered in a confused voice. "Ada?"
"It as all right, Juneau. It is over. I'm here. You will be fine." he whispered soothingly to her, trying his best not to loose his composure. She needed calm from him right now.
"What was that?" Elfwine asked Faramir as the Steward checked over Eldarion's limp body.
"I am not certain. I have an idea, but I do not think that it is possible." Faramir said as he turned to Legolas. "Eldarion's leg is broken, and he is unconscious. Elfwine seems to be unhurt. How fares Juneau?"
"That.......creature stabbed her. She is also unconscious. We must get her back to Minas Ithil or the wound could be fatal." Legolas said worriedly as he lifted Juneau from the ground.
Faramir hoisted Eldarion up from the forest floor and followed Legolas back in the direction of the city of Minas Ithil. Elfwine quickly gathered the broken pieces of Eldarion's toy bow and followed after them.
* * *
Later that evening, Elfwine stood outside the doors to the sick wing, waiting to hear news of his friends. Their parents were within tending to the two of them. Though Elfwine could not really understand what was being said, the tone of their voices frightened him.
"What was this creature that attacked them in the forest?" Aragorn sternly asked Legolas and Faramir.
"My Lord......it was......I am loath to say it." Faramir said hesitantly.
"Speak, Faramir. We must know, so that we may rid Ithilien of it." Aragorn said urgently.
"It was......a wraith. One of the Nine." Faramir whispered.
"But how is that possible? They are destroyed." Queen Lothiriel wondered aloud.
"Only, Aragorn, I do not believe that it was a real Nazgul. If it was, then Legolas' arrow would have had no effect on it. But it did." he added.
"That is true. Besides, this wound in Juneau's shoulder is not like that from a morgul blade. Yet it is somehow different from a regular sword wound." Aragorn said softly.
"How is that?" Falynn asked him.
"When I washed her shoulder in order for it to be bandaged I noticed something strange. The place where the blade pierced her seemed to be covered with ice. The very blood seemed frozen. And when I started to wash that away and the ice touched my own skin I felt as if I had thrust my hand into a flame. My hand is still bloodless from it." Aragorn recounted.
"That is indeed strange, my friend. The like has never been seen in Rohan." Eomer said.
"Nor any of my realms." Aragorn told him.
"Nothing like it has ever been seen in Middle-Earth, as far as I know. We could get a message to my brothers in Rivendell and see if my father ever spoke of anything of this nature." Arwen suggested as she stood up from Eldarion's hospital bed.
"Legolas, do you think it could be.........the Ithryn Luin?" Falynn suddenly asked her husband, recalling the old warning and fear from the past.
Legolas had not spoken this whole time. He was sitting on the edge of his daughter's bed, holding her ice-cold hand. Finally he looked up from her pale face. His eyes were filled with rage.
"That could be the answer. But I care not what has done this. I only want to see it dead, this creature that has hurt my daughter."
"Do not be too hasty, mellon nin. If you rush off you may end up getting hurt. But, Falynn, what are these Ithryn Luin that you speak of?" Aragorn asked Falynn.
"It is something that Gandalf warned me of the day he departed over the sea. He said that they wanted Juneau dead. That they wanted Legolas and I to suffer. He never explained why. I have never met any Blue Wizards and I do not see why they would want revenge against us. Neither does Legolas." Falynn recounted in a hushed tone.
"This is ill news, indeed. That some strange bounty hunter is after Juneau. What shall we do with her until this thing is captured? Keep her locked in doors?" Faramir suggested.
"No! I will not keep my daughter locked away like some wild animal." Falynn replied fiercely.
"But you should at least make sure that she does not wonder alone anymore, as she is known to do. It is not safe." Lady Eowyn spoke up.
"I will make sure that she at least has a guard at all times. But I will not lock her up. For all we know it make take years to solve this mystery. Besides, this creature is not dangerous to Juneau alone. It attacked Eldarion, after all." Falynn said.
"But only because the boy stood in it's way. I talked to my son, Elfwine. He told me everything. The creature ignored him and Eldarion. The only reason that it turned on Eldarion was because he tried to stop it from harming Juneau." Eomer said.
"There is nothing more to be done tonight. I suggest that we all take some rest." Faramir said gently.
As he spoke, Eowyn rose to join him. The two of them headed towards the doors. When they stepped out into the corridor, they saw Elfwine scrambling away down the hall.
"Eomer, I beleive we have a spy on our hands." Eowyn said with a laugh.
Eomer and Lothiriel appeared at the doors just in time to see their son vanish through one of the doors at the end of the hallway. Lothiriel smiled slightly. But Eomer looked worried.
"He should not have heard any of that. I will speak to him later. Elfwine shouldn't go around eavesdropping on private conversations." he said sternly.
"Really, my brother, you are too harsh with the boy." Eowyn sighed as the four of them left for their own chambers.
Legolas, Falynn, Arwen, and Aragorn lingered in the room for awhile longer.
"Eldarion should recover quickly. But I am not sure about Juneau. That wound may take a long while to heal." Aragorn said softly to Legolas and Falynn.
"But she will recover?" Falynn asked.
"Yes...of course." he whispered as he turned and walked silently from the room.
Arwen went to her son and brushed his dark, brown hair from his face. She knelt over him and kissed his brow. Just as she was pulling away from him he woke up. For a moment he seemed confused. Then he realized that it was his mother standing over him.
"Mother. What happened? Where am I? Where's Juneau?" he tried to get up but he immediately fell back upon the bed.
"Just lie quiet now, Eldarion. Do not try to get up. Your leg has been broken. You are back in Minas Ithil. Juneau and Elfwine are fine." Arwen said in an attempt to calm her son.
Eldarion finally stopped struggling when he saw who was lying in the hospital bed next to his.
"Juneau." he whispered, horrified at her appearance. Her face was deathly pale and her breathing was shallow. The blanket was low enough that he could see the bandage on her shoulder. All of this, Eldarion took in with a simple glance.
"What did that thing do to her?"
"It stabbed her. The wound is deep, but your father believes that she will recover with time. For now you must rest." Arwen explained as she made her way to the doors.
Legolas registered none of this. He was still sitting next to Juneau, cursing himself for letting the three think that he had not seen them. His heart was numb and yet it blazed with secret rage.
"Legolas, come away. It will not help her if you get no rest." Falynn said as she pulled Legolas to his feet.
As the two left the room Falynn looked back at her daughter one last time. She felt as Legolas did but she knew that there was nothing more that could be done for Juneau. Aragorn had done what he could. The rest was up to her. Falynn had no doubt that Juneau would recover but she couldn't help worrying.
Just as soon as the three adults had left, Eldarion turned his gaze back to Juneau. Then he spoke to her as if she could here him in her comatose state.
"I'm so sorry, Juneau. I wasn't strong enough to protect you from that monster. But I will not fail again. I swear it." he promised her.
As he slid into darkness once again, a single tear fell from his eye.
It was the last time he would cry for many long years.
* * *