Chapter 14:
Aragorn soon grew as the years passed by. He was thoroughly loved by his foster family, all of whom had kept his destiny from him for many years. The day he met Arwen, Morié knew that things would never be the same again. The two were soon together all the time, stealing kisses in the trees and down by Celebrian's pool. He lost his interest in training and drove his tutor Glorfindel mad as he stared out the window instead of doing his lessons. Morié at that moment felt second best, especially when Arwen admitted that she loved him to her in private. She knew that Arwen would always be prettier, more loved and Aragorn would always remember Arwen more than he would Morié, the one who had trained him and loved him as he grew.
But that bitterness always came with a grain of sadness, especially when she gazed into the bottle that her grand-mother had given her that fateful night when she had been proclaimed. The doom of Lúthien was upon Arwen since she was born and Morié had no willingness to share that doom, especially if it involved Aragorn. For she did not love him the way Arwen loved him, she loved him because he was her brother. She had trained him carefully, had always been a shoulder he could cry on and an elleth he could tell anything. Morié was much older and wiser than her fair cousin. She knew things Arwen would never dream of, things of men and things of love. T'was not for nothing that she had been courted by men and elves, a pillar of splendour when there was no hope in their hearts for beauty.
---
Gazing out one night from her chamber window, Morié looked far into the distance and saw the red light flashing across the surface of Mount Doom once more. The dark was gathering, Morié knew. The great Enemy was gathering his creations to him and the sight brought back waking memories of the darkness she had seen while in the healers. She remembered the terror that had wrapped itself around her like twisted serpents as she lay helpless, the great eye that had pierced the darkness to draw her into his void. The Enemy had coiled itself around her but she had been rescued. A blade had flashed in her hand and she had smote the snake of evil, had watched as it scattered and imploded. The thought gave her peace but the darkness still flowed in Mordor, the land of the Evil Eye.
Ashen-faced, she heard a movement and saw Aragorn standing in the doorway with concern in his eyes. Crossing over, he put his arms on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. She always smiled when she saw the light in her brother's eyes.
"Muinthel nín, why do you look so pale?" asked the worried Aragorn.
"Oh, gwador," spoke Morié with a faint smile, "you are always the flatterer. You must have elvish blood in you to be able to get away with all that. I was just pondering something of no import."
"It is because you taught me so well, muinthel nin. I had a very wise teacher in you and adar. Speaking of Adar, he asked me to give you something for your upcoming birthday." And with that, he took a package from behind his back and handed it to her.
"Ae, Estel. Tis so beautiful," spoke Morié as she ripped open the wrapping paper and saw a small book. Inside it were poems Aragorn had written for her, the front written in beautiful tengwar script and the rest in Sindarin. She threw her arms around him and hugged him close as he struggled to breathe.
"Speaking of Adar again," said Aragorn as he untangled himself from the hug, "he told me that we should seek the twins to meet with him in his chambers. You find Elladan and I will Elrohir. He likes me better anyway."
---
With a laugh, Aragorn bounded from the room and Morié smiled as she laid the book away and looked for her brother. No tricks had been played on Glorfindel as of this winter, so she wrapped herself in her cloak and set out to look for that idiotic cousin of hers. She passed Arwen doing needlework in the parlour, Elrohir and Aragorn shaking snow from their cloaks and her uncle playing chess against Glorfindel in his chambers. However, there was no sign of Elladan in the Homely House. Hooding herself as she steeped out into the snowstorm, she looked at the trees and spied the form of Elladan hidden in a tree. Slipping quietly down the path, Morié made a pile of snowballs and hid them in her cloak. Then, she sneaked around back and fired one at her cousin's back.
Screeching, he fell from the tree and landed flat on his face in front of her. Dusting himself off, he threw a snowball at her but missed. Pelting without mercy, the two soon found themselves laughing and having a major fight. It was only when a tap was heard above them that Morié looked up to see her uncle beckoning. As she nodded, a snowball got her right in her neck and she felt the stinging of cold snow. Shaking it from her hair, she glared at a laughing Elladan and pushed him inside. Taking off her cloak, she shook off all the snow she could reach and screamed when Elladan stuck ice down her neck. Slapping him hard, she flicked her hair angrily and stormed off to the chamber of meeting. Sitting down ungracefully, she frowned at Elladan as he came in with pink cheeks and tried to get the cold ice from her back as Elrond began to speak.
"Welcome to you all for coming. Before I start, I wish you all a good trip to Greenwood and a successful mission. However, I would like to point out that Greenwood is not welcoming to strangers. The envoys will be provided with special rings to signify our purpose. Do not, and I repeat do not, irritate the King, Thranduil. He is known for his changing emotions and will often change his mind many times. He is notably irritable and dislikes elves from anywhere but Greenwood. You have met him once before, Morié, and hopefully you will remember him prudently. Estel, do not let on the fact that you are human. Thranduil thoroughly hates humans and will certainly take a dislike to you if you reveal yourself willingly. Now, we must go over the plans for this mission..."
And with that, Elrond launched into a long discussion of the specifics of the mission and Mirkwood itself. Hours later, he let the team leave and requested for Morié to stay behind. Handing her a money pouch and certain documents, they began to talk about her special mission as the rays of sun slowly faded over the leafless treetops...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Muinthel nin - My sister
Gwador - My sworn brother
Adar - Father
Ae, Estel - Oh, Estel