Mother's Love
There was a flurry of activity in the House of Elrond. After Shakir had found and delivered his message to Lord Elrond, he had calmed down and was now quietly accepting small bits of raw meat from Elurin, the elven butler.
Using the rapport he had already established with the big stallion, Thranduil had calmed Elias then had led him to the stable where he had groomed the animal then resaddled him, minus the bridle which he had tied to the saddle itself. Leaving both hay and grain for the horse and promising that someone would come back for him as soon as they had prepared themselves, he left the horse and returned to the main house.
From the falcon's somewhat frantic message Lord Elrond had been able to ascertain that Anayah was on her way back to Rivendell, in a severe snow storm, on foot, pulling a sled with a wounded Legolas in it, behind her. This worried Elrond, for he was aware of the blizzard that was covering the area the two elves were traveling in. It was a mean storm and he was not at all certain it was a natural storm. He pushed these thoughts to the side for the moment as there were more pressing matters for him to attend to.
The twins, Glorfindel, Eomer of Rohan, Thranduil, and an escort of ten warriors from Mirkwood, Rohan and Rivendell, were now preparing themselves to begin a search for Anayah and Legolas. Lord Elrond first made sure that every member of the search party knew under what conditions they would be conducting the search then he made sure that they were properly prepared, physically, to do so. All 15 of the men and elves had dressed themselves in cold weather clothing then had gathered the medical supplies they would need to treat any type of injury or illness the two elves might be suffering from when they were eventually found. Everyone would carry long lengths of rope so that if they did encounter conditions with little or no visibility, they would be able to rope one rider to another so no rider would become lost if they inadvertently strayed off-course.
The group would be following Elias, who would be the best search beacon anybody could ask for. The falcon made no move to follow the group as if he knew he would be of no use in the blizzard. He had done his part when he had delivered the message his Lady had given him so many days before.
Just before the group left, Elrond called his sons to him. As they hugged each other, both Elladan and Elrohir promised their father that they would bring their sister and Legolas home. The twins also made their father promise that he would keep Aragorn drugged so the man would not try to come after them.
Elrond then gave Elladan a vial with a thick amber liquid inside and told both he and his twin that the vial contained a powerful system stimulant and if either of the two elves was near death, getting them to swallow a small mouthful of the liquid would serve to stimulate the heart and help keep that elf alive.
Finally, when there was nothing more to say, Elrond Peredhil, Noldor Lord of Imladris, gave the search group his blessings, then with tears in his eyes, watched as they passed through the gates of Imladris.
* * * * * *
Anayah had reached her physical limits some time before ... she knew this. The only things keeping her feet moving at this point was her own stubbornness, her sense of responsibility, and her friendship with the wounded elf in the sled behind her. She was determined not to let anybody down, most of all, Legolas. The adrenaline that had kept her moving for so long was now almost nonexistent, and Anayah knew that it would not be too much longer before she would fall and not be able to get back up.
The wolf pack was still following her and was still occasionally attacking though their numbers were dwindling as a result of Anayah's weak yet determined defense. They were becoming bolder and bolder as if they sensed the two elves they were tracking would soon offer no resistance at all.
It was after their last attack, as she knelt on one knee in the snow, her weight resting on her bloody sword, the tip of which was buried in the snow, that she realized she would probably not have enough strength to survive the next attack.
Then, just as she was almost overcome by her despair and weariness, she heard someone call her name. At first she thought she was hearing things, that her mind had at last succumbed to the frigid temperatures. Then she heard it again, little more than a whisper, soft, gentle and insistent.
"Anayah. Get up!" The voice was insistent. It repeated itself, urging her to get up and move on.
"Get up. You have to move on. You cannot give in. Do not listen to the darkness. Do not despair. Get up."
The voice would not leave her alone so, in order to appease whoever was talking to her, she rose to her feet once more. Looping the harness around her unwounded shoulder, she began to walk forward, slowly and sluggishly, every step a torture in itself. She had only taken a few steps when she stopped. Her legs would no longer obey her, no matter how hard she tried to get them to move. Despair began to claim her and she sank to her knees yet again. As her eyes started to drift shut, something ahead of her caught her attention. Her eyes opened all the way as she stared at what should not have been there.
In the distance she could just barely make out a light. She frowned. What is a light doing way out here? And what light would be so bright that it can be seen in the middle of a blizzard? The light reminded her of something, though she could not remember exactly what that something was. The compulsion to follow the light was strong enough to override her despair and so, rising to her feet and taking a deep breath, she began to walk forward one last time.
Anayah had no idea of how much time had gone by, how much distance she had traveled or even in which direction she had been walking. The light remained in front of her and was always the same distance away and always she followed it. Onward, one step at a time, one foot then the other ...
Her attention was brought swiftly back to the sled when she heard a snuffling noise. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a wolf trying to stick his nose under the canvas. Yelling, she dropped the harness and drew her sword. The wolf tucked its tail between its legs and ran.
After tucking the edge of the canvas back into the sled, Anayah paused, listening carefully for sounds of the remaining members of the wolf pack. From the snuffling and soft crunches of the snow, she was able to determine that the pack was closing in on her. She walked a short distance away from the sled, trying to lure the pack away from it and to draw attention to herself. The four remaining wolves did not fall for the ploy and continued to keep their distance, still unwilling to face the sword that had taken the life of almost every member of their pack. Anayah knew, for a certainty, that this was going to be her last stand and so she prepared herself, body as well as mind, to finish what the four-legged demons had started.
"So, my friends, if you refuse to take first blood in this final hour then let me see if I can provide a little incentive to do otherwise!" Taking her dagger, Anayah used the blade to cut into the palm of her left hand. As her blood dripped to the snow, she could hear the pack shift their positions as they caught the scent. Her plan had worked and she smiled. This time, however, instead of lurking beyond the range of her vision, the four remaining wolves walked towards her as a unit, as if they also realized this would be the final battle for them as well.
Holding her sword with both hands, shoulder height and in line with her right shoulder, Anayah locked eyes with the largest wolf, the alpha, and as he began to circle her, she moved her body to follow. Her movements were sluggish and the pack sensed this as they moved just a little bit closer. Suddenly a wolf sprang at her, not the alpha, but an over-eager younger animal that lacked the patience of his elders. Moving slightly sideways, shifting her center of balance, then taking a step to the side at the last moment, Anayah slashed downward and neatly beheaded the animal. Unfortunately, she had used the last of her strength and followed her sword to the ground. She fought to regain her feet but had only managed to get to her knees when the big alpha finally made his leap.
Expecting to feel his jaws close on her unprotected neck, Anayah was surprised when the animal yelped in pain then fell dead two feet away from where she knelt in the snow. Stunned at the sudden turn of events, all she could do was stare at the mahogany brown shaft of the arrow that protruded from the dead wolf. Then as if instinct told her it was finally all right for her to go to sleep, she slumped forward and fell to the ground. It was over.
Anayah was not awake when the light she had followed for so long and over so great a distance began to move until it was directly in front her as she lay unconscious in the snow. She was not awake to feel its soft caress. She was also not awake to hear the voice, still soft and full of caring and love, as it spoke one last time.
"May the grace of the Valar protect you and sustain you. Be at peace .... iell-nín".
It was the Imladris rescue party that bore silent witness to the last act of a mother's love before the light that was that love leaped once more into the sky to rejoin all those who had gone before it.
TBC
iel-nín = my daughter