Annun rode hard. His horse, which had been long neglected, was more
than happy to run with his master as in years past. Annun really had no
definite direction at first, only a general southerly direction. He ran
until his mind had cleared and his horse was panting for breath, then he
rested before setting a more leisurly course to Lothlorian. He had just
returned from a visit to his friends, but there was no reason he could not
go back. He let his horse plod slowly along the trail. After all, he had
all the time in the world.
Leaving had been the wrong thing to do. He knew this now. He had been in Lothlorian for over a month, the longest month of his life, he was sure. He knew that he had been wrong to leave. Not a day passed that he did not think of Culu-- and Fauwne. Where they all right? Was Culu still training? Was Fauwne ok?
As much as he thought of them, he could not go back. Returning would take too much explaination that he was not ready to give yet. It would be immpossible to make them understand. No matter what, he had to stay away.
Beautiful Lothlorian had lost it's charm for Annun. He left after only a short stay, hoping that a visit to his dear friend Elrond would put everything right. Annun made the trip to Rivendell in record time. His urgency pushed his horse to rival Shadowfax for speed. It was with great joy that at long last, he stood in Elrond's study facing his old friend.
"Annun! It is so good to see you again so soon." Elrond hugged his friend. "What has brought you back to Rivendell?"
"I needed to speak to you. You are a dear friend and I am in dire need of advise that I think you can provide."
"Ah, another come for advise." Elrond's voice was laden with care. "I am not so sure that I can help you, my friend. As much as I wish to, I feel as if there is no advise left in me. You have missed much in the one short year you were gone. A dark cloud has dimmed the future for all of us."
"What is it, Elrond?"
"Sauron. His spirit dwells over Mordor, and his eye is searching for his ring of power." A deep sigh excaped him. "Mithrandir assured me it is safe, but I fear that no one is safe until the ring is destroyed."
"Mithrandir is very wise. If he says that it is safe, than it is safe."
"Galadrial fears that it is not so." Elrond turned dark eyes on his friend. "You have come from Lothlorian. Is all well there?"
"It is untouched. Galadrial did seem restless, but any so long in Middle Earth would become so. Even I wonder if it is not best to seek the land of the Valar, and I am far younger than her."
"You are not the only one, Annun. Many have already begun leaving. Many more will follow. I have seen it. I., too, will go-- I can feel it approaching. My years on Middle Earth are coming to a close..." his voice trailed off. "I fear what I will be forced to leave behind."
Annun could see in his face that he was far away in thought. "You speak of Arwen."
Elrond noticed that Annun had not asked a question, but made a statement. He nodded in acnoledgement. "Yes, I speak of Arwen, my daughter. I fear that she might yet choose Estel-- whom I love as a son-- and with him, choose death."
Annun sat quietly with his friend for a long moment, lost in his own thoughts. Finally, he spoke. "Where is Estel?"
"He rides with the Rangers. He is so young, yet his lack of years he hopes to atone for with many adventures. She could do worse," Elrond said suddenly, "Aragorn is a fine man and is destined to be a great king. If only he was truely Estel, I could give my blessing!"
"So you would deny Arwen happiness?"
"I would deny her death! She has happiness." His words sounded weak to his own ears. After another moment of silence, Elrond changed the subject. "Have you seen Elladan and Elrohir yet? I know they would wish to see you."
For the next month, Annun stayed with Elrond's family, yet he never raised the question that was ever on his mind. Elrond never returned the subject to the advise that had brought Annun to his house, but that was fine with Annun. He was not so sure that he would like the answer he would receive.
Annun left after only a short visit. His heart could not seem to find rest. Always his thoughts turned to the two people in his house, and their well-being. Had he left them to their deaths? Was he to be the ultimate cause of what Fauwne had tried so hard to prevent? Annun knew he could never forgive himself if Culu turned from the right because of him, yet he could not return. "Is life so dear to me?" He wondered as he rode yet another long, lonely trail. "Is my own life worth this much to me?" It was a question he could never seem to answer.
Elrond could not beleive what he was hearing. Yet, Mithrandir stood before him in his study, and the fire in his eyes left no room for doubt. "Gather everyone you can! We must do what we can to raise an army greater than Saruman's. I am going to retreive the ring. We must decide now what to do with it, before it is too late!"
Elrond set to work immediately. The first person he thought of was Annur. He summoned a messanger. "Gather the ten fastest horses and the ten best trackers. Get Annur back here!"
Only after that was taken care of did he turn to gathering other influential Elves and men. The other messangers he sent out at a more leisurly pace. No matter what happened, he just knew that he wanted Annun there to face it with him.
It took the messangers over a week to find Annun. Annun had been wondering through the forest with no particular direction. When they had found him, it was only the matter of two days travel to return to Elrond's house. There, they waited for the return of Mithrandir and the bit of metal that was the cause of so much trouble.
Annun did not like the wait. Each moment of inactivity left him far too much time to think. It had been almost a year sence he had left Culu and Fauwne, and they still plauged his every waking thought. Finally, the people who they had been waiting for arrived. Annun watched as the fate of the ring was decided. A company should take it to Mt. Doom to destroy it, the final verdict was. Elrond turned to Annun. "Will you lead this fellowship in this dangerous task?" he whispered for Annun's ears only.
Annun's eyes took on a distant look. This was the purpose that he had waited for so long. This was an adventure that could put him in the history books. This was something he could die for. Purpose. A purpose worth it all. Suddenly, his mind flew back to a dark-haired woman and her flame- haired son. He had once told her that he needed a purpose, and she had provided one for him. A purpose that was worth his life. In that instant he knew that if he was to die, he wanted it to be for a far nobler cause than war. Love.
"No, Elrond." Annun told him. Elrond was surprised by his answer. Annun had seemed so restless, he was sure that this was just the thing for him. He gave Annun another questioning look, but Annun's face was adament. "No. I have chosen." He got up and left the gathering, unnoticed by all but Elrond, who watched him go with a questioning look, and Estel, who watched him with a knowing one.
It took almost three weeks for Annun to reach Lindor, and every second of delay ripped at his heart. When he arrived, no one was in sight. His mind whirled with every horrible situation that could have occurred, and he dismounted and hit the ground running and yelling. "Fauwne! Culu! Hello, Fauwne! Culu! Are you here?!"
Culu and Fauwne came from behind a wall, fear of some unknown danger on Fauwne's face, something between joy and anger on Culu's. Fauwne relaxed slightly when she saw that it was Annun, but he could see that her gaurd was still up.
"Annun." Culu spoke coldly, and Annun was shocked at the deepness of his voice. The boy was almost nine years old, he realized suddenly. Little time meant so much to mortals. He was drug from his reverie by that childishly deep voice again, "Why did you come back?"
Pain that he knew he deserved flooded Annun. He had left suddenly. He owed them an explaination. "I came back because I should have never left." Annun said softly to the little boy.
Releif filled Culu's eyes. "What took you so long to figure that out?" He said jovialy, all hard feelings gone in what Annun thought was an immpossibly short time.
"I guess it is just one more thing that Elves do slowly, Culu. You will have to teach me to speed up." Culu smiled at that. "Now, I must speak to your mother, Culu." He patted the boy's shoulder, amazed again at how much he had grown. Culu smiled a knowing smile and ran off.
Annun faced Fauwne. Her eyes held confusion, anger, but mostly hurt. Her hurt bit into Annun's heart like a dagger. "Why did you leave," Fauwne asked, "Why did you make Culu love you then leave? You broke his heart. I feared that his anger would make him as his father was-- and you had trained him to kill. Why? Did you plan to do this to him?" Before he could answer, she continued. "Well, it didn't work. Culu is good, no matter what you try to do to him!" She turned from him to hide her tears.
Annun wished he could turn back time, but he could not. Instead, he determined to make her understand-- even if it took the rest of his life.
"Fauwne," he said gently, putting a hand on her sholder and turning her to face him, "I left because I was afraid. I knew that I was falling in love with you."
Fauwne looked up, surprised at his words.
"I told you once that an Elf only died if he chose to-- I never explained. When an Elf loves a mortal, he must choose between immortality or life as a mortal. I was torn by that decision. I knew the cost of love-- and now I know that the price I was paying to be seperated from you was more than death. I have made my choice. My fate is tied to yours." He kneeled before her, a heartbroken man. "Now I ask your forgiveness, and your decision. Will you accept me, such as I am?" Annun waited anxiously for her answer. He had aready given up his chance for immortalily, but she could still refuse his suit.
"Annun," Fauwne was amazed by his words. She had thought he had left because he could not love Culu-- or her. Now, she knew the truth. "Annun," she said again, kneeling beside him, "I would have taken you gladly a year ago. Now, I feel honored that you would give up life for me. I have loved you, even in your absence-- you still have immortality, Annun. You will live in my heart and the heart of Culu forever."
Annun took her in his arms and shared a long, sweet kiss of promice with her. They only had one short life ahead of them, but ohh, what a life!
Leaving had been the wrong thing to do. He knew this now. He had been in Lothlorian for over a month, the longest month of his life, he was sure. He knew that he had been wrong to leave. Not a day passed that he did not think of Culu-- and Fauwne. Where they all right? Was Culu still training? Was Fauwne ok?
As much as he thought of them, he could not go back. Returning would take too much explaination that he was not ready to give yet. It would be immpossible to make them understand. No matter what, he had to stay away.
Beautiful Lothlorian had lost it's charm for Annun. He left after only a short stay, hoping that a visit to his dear friend Elrond would put everything right. Annun made the trip to Rivendell in record time. His urgency pushed his horse to rival Shadowfax for speed. It was with great joy that at long last, he stood in Elrond's study facing his old friend.
"Annun! It is so good to see you again so soon." Elrond hugged his friend. "What has brought you back to Rivendell?"
"I needed to speak to you. You are a dear friend and I am in dire need of advise that I think you can provide."
"Ah, another come for advise." Elrond's voice was laden with care. "I am not so sure that I can help you, my friend. As much as I wish to, I feel as if there is no advise left in me. You have missed much in the one short year you were gone. A dark cloud has dimmed the future for all of us."
"What is it, Elrond?"
"Sauron. His spirit dwells over Mordor, and his eye is searching for his ring of power." A deep sigh excaped him. "Mithrandir assured me it is safe, but I fear that no one is safe until the ring is destroyed."
"Mithrandir is very wise. If he says that it is safe, than it is safe."
"Galadrial fears that it is not so." Elrond turned dark eyes on his friend. "You have come from Lothlorian. Is all well there?"
"It is untouched. Galadrial did seem restless, but any so long in Middle Earth would become so. Even I wonder if it is not best to seek the land of the Valar, and I am far younger than her."
"You are not the only one, Annun. Many have already begun leaving. Many more will follow. I have seen it. I., too, will go-- I can feel it approaching. My years on Middle Earth are coming to a close..." his voice trailed off. "I fear what I will be forced to leave behind."
Annun could see in his face that he was far away in thought. "You speak of Arwen."
Elrond noticed that Annun had not asked a question, but made a statement. He nodded in acnoledgement. "Yes, I speak of Arwen, my daughter. I fear that she might yet choose Estel-- whom I love as a son-- and with him, choose death."
Annun sat quietly with his friend for a long moment, lost in his own thoughts. Finally, he spoke. "Where is Estel?"
"He rides with the Rangers. He is so young, yet his lack of years he hopes to atone for with many adventures. She could do worse," Elrond said suddenly, "Aragorn is a fine man and is destined to be a great king. If only he was truely Estel, I could give my blessing!"
"So you would deny Arwen happiness?"
"I would deny her death! She has happiness." His words sounded weak to his own ears. After another moment of silence, Elrond changed the subject. "Have you seen Elladan and Elrohir yet? I know they would wish to see you."
For the next month, Annun stayed with Elrond's family, yet he never raised the question that was ever on his mind. Elrond never returned the subject to the advise that had brought Annun to his house, but that was fine with Annun. He was not so sure that he would like the answer he would receive.
Annun left after only a short visit. His heart could not seem to find rest. Always his thoughts turned to the two people in his house, and their well-being. Had he left them to their deaths? Was he to be the ultimate cause of what Fauwne had tried so hard to prevent? Annun knew he could never forgive himself if Culu turned from the right because of him, yet he could not return. "Is life so dear to me?" He wondered as he rode yet another long, lonely trail. "Is my own life worth this much to me?" It was a question he could never seem to answer.
Elrond could not beleive what he was hearing. Yet, Mithrandir stood before him in his study, and the fire in his eyes left no room for doubt. "Gather everyone you can! We must do what we can to raise an army greater than Saruman's. I am going to retreive the ring. We must decide now what to do with it, before it is too late!"
Elrond set to work immediately. The first person he thought of was Annur. He summoned a messanger. "Gather the ten fastest horses and the ten best trackers. Get Annur back here!"
Only after that was taken care of did he turn to gathering other influential Elves and men. The other messangers he sent out at a more leisurly pace. No matter what happened, he just knew that he wanted Annun there to face it with him.
It took the messangers over a week to find Annun. Annun had been wondering through the forest with no particular direction. When they had found him, it was only the matter of two days travel to return to Elrond's house. There, they waited for the return of Mithrandir and the bit of metal that was the cause of so much trouble.
Annun did not like the wait. Each moment of inactivity left him far too much time to think. It had been almost a year sence he had left Culu and Fauwne, and they still plauged his every waking thought. Finally, the people who they had been waiting for arrived. Annun watched as the fate of the ring was decided. A company should take it to Mt. Doom to destroy it, the final verdict was. Elrond turned to Annun. "Will you lead this fellowship in this dangerous task?" he whispered for Annun's ears only.
Annun's eyes took on a distant look. This was the purpose that he had waited for so long. This was an adventure that could put him in the history books. This was something he could die for. Purpose. A purpose worth it all. Suddenly, his mind flew back to a dark-haired woman and her flame- haired son. He had once told her that he needed a purpose, and she had provided one for him. A purpose that was worth his life. In that instant he knew that if he was to die, he wanted it to be for a far nobler cause than war. Love.
"No, Elrond." Annun told him. Elrond was surprised by his answer. Annun had seemed so restless, he was sure that this was just the thing for him. He gave Annun another questioning look, but Annun's face was adament. "No. I have chosen." He got up and left the gathering, unnoticed by all but Elrond, who watched him go with a questioning look, and Estel, who watched him with a knowing one.
It took almost three weeks for Annun to reach Lindor, and every second of delay ripped at his heart. When he arrived, no one was in sight. His mind whirled with every horrible situation that could have occurred, and he dismounted and hit the ground running and yelling. "Fauwne! Culu! Hello, Fauwne! Culu! Are you here?!"
Culu and Fauwne came from behind a wall, fear of some unknown danger on Fauwne's face, something between joy and anger on Culu's. Fauwne relaxed slightly when she saw that it was Annun, but he could see that her gaurd was still up.
"Annun." Culu spoke coldly, and Annun was shocked at the deepness of his voice. The boy was almost nine years old, he realized suddenly. Little time meant so much to mortals. He was drug from his reverie by that childishly deep voice again, "Why did you come back?"
Pain that he knew he deserved flooded Annun. He had left suddenly. He owed them an explaination. "I came back because I should have never left." Annun said softly to the little boy.
Releif filled Culu's eyes. "What took you so long to figure that out?" He said jovialy, all hard feelings gone in what Annun thought was an immpossibly short time.
"I guess it is just one more thing that Elves do slowly, Culu. You will have to teach me to speed up." Culu smiled at that. "Now, I must speak to your mother, Culu." He patted the boy's shoulder, amazed again at how much he had grown. Culu smiled a knowing smile and ran off.
Annun faced Fauwne. Her eyes held confusion, anger, but mostly hurt. Her hurt bit into Annun's heart like a dagger. "Why did you leave," Fauwne asked, "Why did you make Culu love you then leave? You broke his heart. I feared that his anger would make him as his father was-- and you had trained him to kill. Why? Did you plan to do this to him?" Before he could answer, she continued. "Well, it didn't work. Culu is good, no matter what you try to do to him!" She turned from him to hide her tears.
Annun wished he could turn back time, but he could not. Instead, he determined to make her understand-- even if it took the rest of his life.
"Fauwne," he said gently, putting a hand on her sholder and turning her to face him, "I left because I was afraid. I knew that I was falling in love with you."
Fauwne looked up, surprised at his words.
"I told you once that an Elf only died if he chose to-- I never explained. When an Elf loves a mortal, he must choose between immortality or life as a mortal. I was torn by that decision. I knew the cost of love-- and now I know that the price I was paying to be seperated from you was more than death. I have made my choice. My fate is tied to yours." He kneeled before her, a heartbroken man. "Now I ask your forgiveness, and your decision. Will you accept me, such as I am?" Annun waited anxiously for her answer. He had aready given up his chance for immortalily, but she could still refuse his suit.
"Annun," Fauwne was amazed by his words. She had thought he had left because he could not love Culu-- or her. Now, she knew the truth. "Annun," she said again, kneeling beside him, "I would have taken you gladly a year ago. Now, I feel honored that you would give up life for me. I have loved you, even in your absence-- you still have immortality, Annun. You will live in my heart and the heart of Culu forever."
Annun took her in his arms and shared a long, sweet kiss of promice with her. They only had one short life ahead of them, but ohh, what a life!