Chapter Five
A Chosen One
All of the shadow elves bowed down before him in honor and Carangil was confused, as were the princes.
' What are they doing?' asked Elrohir telepathically.
' I have no idea,' said Carangil.
' Perhaps they think you wield some special power,' offered Elladan.
' But did you see the awe in their eyes, it was if they had seen a Vala,' said Legolas.
' I have seen the Vala; they had more awe than that. It was an awe of respect for something they have seen before,' said Carangil.
"Lord Carangil, you are the chosen," said Darren looking up.
"The chosen for?" he asked in reply.
"To bring the light into our lives," came the reply.
"I am not able to do that, the trees are destroyed and the Silmarils lost, there is no light left in this world," Carangil replied.
"You must take us to the lady of light, she will understand," Darren said earnestly.
' Carangil, the Lady Galadriel is called the Lady of Light,' said Elladan through his mind.
"What business would you have with the Lady Galadriel?" asked Elrohir.
"Our leader saw her beauty long ago and told us when we died that the chosen one which would be revealed to us would take us to the Lady of Light," he replied.
"How do we know you are telling the truth? This could be an assassination attempt on her. How can we tell?" asked Elladan.
"I do not know how to make you trust us but I know you must," Darren replied.
' What's that over there?' asked Legolas to the others.
' It looks like a man cloaked in grey on a horse,' remarked Elladan not drawing the connection.
' You dolt, it is Gandalf,' said Elrohir.
"The grey wizard approaches," said Legolas to see what would happen to the shadow elves.
They all turned and watched as the rider drew nearer. He reared to a stop in front of Carangil.
"Lord Carangil, I bring news from the Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel. They say to let these beings come. They also say that a beautiful surprise waits for you in the Golden Wood," he said smirking in his usual manner.
"Mithrandir, it has been to long. Thank you for bringing the message. Will you please take on to my brother," he said in reply.
"I will gladly take one to Lord Glorfindel. I must first speak with the shadow elves of what they must prepare themselves to come into the light," he said.
Darren looked up at Gandalf on the horse and he smiled.
"Lord Gandalf, we shall do as you command," he said while bowing. "Thank you, please just call me Gandalf, no more, no less," said Gandalf as he dismounted.
"As you say, Gandalf," said Darren.
"First of all, have you ever slayed any of your kinsmen or done any murder out of cold blood on anything besides the shadow spawn?" Gandalf the grey asked them.
"I may only speak for my tribe, we have not slayed any elves, men or dwarves nor killed any thing in cold blood," Darren replied.
' Carangil, we should be accused of some of these things,' said Legolas telepathically.
' I must confess I have slayed an elf before, but never out of cold blood,' said Carangil in reply while the princes grimaced as they thought of the crossing of the ice in the far north and what had caused him and there relatives to cross it after a major kin slaying.
"Second, have you ever pledged allegiance with either of the dark lords who are not worthy to be mentioned?" Gandalf continued with his questions.
"We have never pledged to the inferior beings that many of our kindred have, we stayed true," was the reply that came.
"Third and final, are you willing to sacrifice all for the will of Eru and what may come once you have been accepted by the Valar?" he asked while the shadow elves stayed quiet and thought about what they would answer.
' Is there really a good answer for that question?' asked Elladan open telepathically so that Gandalf would hear it.
' Yes young one, it is the one their heart will choose. Thanks to my master, Lórien, they know what answer they will choose. It has been revealed to them in dreams only if they understand them correctly,' Gandalf replied much to Elladan surprise.
"I do not believe I would be able to do that," said Darren and Gandalf reply was much more surprising.
"You are now trusted to enter the Golden Wood. Leave soon, these Imladrim must get home soon for a special occasion," he said as he mounted his horse and took off towards Imladris without getting Carangil's message for Glorfindel.
' Gandalf, you did not get your message," he sent telepathically.
' I did, but you did not know it,' came the reply and the link was severed.
"We leave at dawn, we shall see you then, we must talk," said Carangil as Darren mounted their horses and rode off.
Legolas turned and rode down the hill and the others followed not knowing what there was to talk about and were kind of confused at exactly what they were supposed to do. Carangil was letting his mind wander into the past to the phrase ' All id fair in love and war'. He longed to know what it meant and hoped the Lady could help him with this problem and what was the ' beautiful surprise' that awaited him there.
A Chosen One
All of the shadow elves bowed down before him in honor and Carangil was confused, as were the princes.
' What are they doing?' asked Elrohir telepathically.
' I have no idea,' said Carangil.
' Perhaps they think you wield some special power,' offered Elladan.
' But did you see the awe in their eyes, it was if they had seen a Vala,' said Legolas.
' I have seen the Vala; they had more awe than that. It was an awe of respect for something they have seen before,' said Carangil.
"Lord Carangil, you are the chosen," said Darren looking up.
"The chosen for?" he asked in reply.
"To bring the light into our lives," came the reply.
"I am not able to do that, the trees are destroyed and the Silmarils lost, there is no light left in this world," Carangil replied.
"You must take us to the lady of light, she will understand," Darren said earnestly.
' Carangil, the Lady Galadriel is called the Lady of Light,' said Elladan through his mind.
"What business would you have with the Lady Galadriel?" asked Elrohir.
"Our leader saw her beauty long ago and told us when we died that the chosen one which would be revealed to us would take us to the Lady of Light," he replied.
"How do we know you are telling the truth? This could be an assassination attempt on her. How can we tell?" asked Elladan.
"I do not know how to make you trust us but I know you must," Darren replied.
' What's that over there?' asked Legolas to the others.
' It looks like a man cloaked in grey on a horse,' remarked Elladan not drawing the connection.
' You dolt, it is Gandalf,' said Elrohir.
"The grey wizard approaches," said Legolas to see what would happen to the shadow elves.
They all turned and watched as the rider drew nearer. He reared to a stop in front of Carangil.
"Lord Carangil, I bring news from the Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel. They say to let these beings come. They also say that a beautiful surprise waits for you in the Golden Wood," he said smirking in his usual manner.
"Mithrandir, it has been to long. Thank you for bringing the message. Will you please take on to my brother," he said in reply.
"I will gladly take one to Lord Glorfindel. I must first speak with the shadow elves of what they must prepare themselves to come into the light," he said.
Darren looked up at Gandalf on the horse and he smiled.
"Lord Gandalf, we shall do as you command," he said while bowing. "Thank you, please just call me Gandalf, no more, no less," said Gandalf as he dismounted.
"As you say, Gandalf," said Darren.
"First of all, have you ever slayed any of your kinsmen or done any murder out of cold blood on anything besides the shadow spawn?" Gandalf the grey asked them.
"I may only speak for my tribe, we have not slayed any elves, men or dwarves nor killed any thing in cold blood," Darren replied.
' Carangil, we should be accused of some of these things,' said Legolas telepathically.
' I must confess I have slayed an elf before, but never out of cold blood,' said Carangil in reply while the princes grimaced as they thought of the crossing of the ice in the far north and what had caused him and there relatives to cross it after a major kin slaying.
"Second, have you ever pledged allegiance with either of the dark lords who are not worthy to be mentioned?" Gandalf continued with his questions.
"We have never pledged to the inferior beings that many of our kindred have, we stayed true," was the reply that came.
"Third and final, are you willing to sacrifice all for the will of Eru and what may come once you have been accepted by the Valar?" he asked while the shadow elves stayed quiet and thought about what they would answer.
' Is there really a good answer for that question?' asked Elladan open telepathically so that Gandalf would hear it.
' Yes young one, it is the one their heart will choose. Thanks to my master, Lórien, they know what answer they will choose. It has been revealed to them in dreams only if they understand them correctly,' Gandalf replied much to Elladan surprise.
"I do not believe I would be able to do that," said Darren and Gandalf reply was much more surprising.
"You are now trusted to enter the Golden Wood. Leave soon, these Imladrim must get home soon for a special occasion," he said as he mounted his horse and took off towards Imladris without getting Carangil's message for Glorfindel.
' Gandalf, you did not get your message," he sent telepathically.
' I did, but you did not know it,' came the reply and the link was severed.
"We leave at dawn, we shall see you then, we must talk," said Carangil as Darren mounted their horses and rode off.
Legolas turned and rode down the hill and the others followed not knowing what there was to talk about and were kind of confused at exactly what they were supposed to do. Carangil was letting his mind wander into the past to the phrase ' All id fair in love and war'. He longed to know what it meant and hoped the Lady could help him with this problem and what was the ' beautiful surprise' that awaited him there.