A/N Thanks to Nurvingiel and Elessar*Lover for reviewing I really
appreciated it. I'm still open to any suggestions. See how you like this
chap.
Once again the years passed as they have a habit of doing. The immortal elves passed through the centuries unaffected, but her mothers dying words lay heavily on Esmiel's mind.
A task would be laid before her? A knot formed in her stomach every time she remembered those words. Deep within her being she knew she would recognise this task when it came, but her mind was filled with a deep feeling of insecurity and uncertainty. Though she tried, she found difficulty keeping these feelings away from those around her.
It was Elladan, the youngest of Elrond's twin sons, who noticed. Elladan and Elrohir had always been sensitive to her, due to the bond they shared as twins, which always seemed to her very like a trait of her mothers people.
The twins had returned from a recent foray with the Rangers of the Wilds. Esmiel had shaken herself out of her brooding state and gone out to meet them, as the three of them had been close friends since her father had left and they had always taken the time to speak with her when she was a child.
"And where did the world sweep you of to this time, my friends?" she said as she embraced them in greeting.
"Far to the East." said Elrohir, his eyes filled with excitement, "Past the Iron Mountains, we came to a vast wasteland, which even elven eyes have difficulty seeing across. Far in the distance, on the horizon rose a range of jagged mountains. We have named them the Mountains of Long Past," he continued in a gentler tone, "For your mother as she must have travelled through them to reach Rivendell."
It was luck really that Elladan caught the fleeting spurt of grief and deep worry coming from Esmiel, before she contained her feelings once again. Elladan had learnt long ago that when Esmiel felt something very strongly it could sometimes be felt by those close to her.
Her grief he could understand easily, Esmiel was only early into her third century, and Laitha's memory would ache for a long time to come. It was the almost painful apprehension that confused him, why would the memory of her mother cause such worry? His curiosity peaked when, instead of remaining to speak with them longer, as was her habit, Esmiel excused herself and left with a small frown on her brow.
.
With her feet tucked underneath her and her head resting on her knees, Esmiel stared from the small garden, at the waterfalls running down to the ford of Bruinen. Even with her mind as occupied as it was, she sensed his presence before she heard him.
"A peaceful evening to you Elladan." She said looking over her shoulder at him as he appeared along the small garden path. He sat down on the bench near her looking out to the distance.
"What is this weight on your mind Esmiel?" He asked quietly. "Even you cannot hide that something is troubling you deeply. You need not fear telling me, have I not known you since you were a child?" She sighed heavily, lifting her eyes to looking into the unfathomable blackness of the night sky. Many minutes later she spoke.
"Do you know what she told me, my mother, the night she died." Esmiel said turning slightly to face him. "She told me that I am the last to carry the blood of her people and that for their memory to survive I will have to face some great task. Yet she would tell me nothing about it and I know in the core of my being that I am not ready for it. I feel lost and totally alone without her, there is a great part of me that is like her people and it is a part of me that I cannot control and she is not here to teach me. I feel hope, grief, love and hate that is not mine, but this only a tiny fraction of what is building up within me."
Elladan was silent for a long time, looking searchingly into her wide green eyes. While she was speaking he had felt her grief and confusion strongly almost as if it had been his own. He felt exhausted and she received feelings from people all the time, every day.
"Well," he began slowly, "You'll have to try and learn how to control this part of you then."
She smiled tiredly, "You make it sound as easy as learning to play the harp or to sing with the choruses."
"We'll just have to try and figure out how it works then won't we?" he smiled at her.
"We?" she said, raising one eyebrow and smiling.
.
"Try to regain the meditative state of mind again Esmiel. Let's try this again." Elladan said tiredly. He had too admit that he was almost totally lost. Magic and meditation and never factored largely in his life and the books and scrolls he had found on the subject had been either too complicated or too obscure. He had dredged up some of the old memories of basic elvish healing he and Elrohir had received from their father when they were but elflings.
Esmiel, who had been coming in and out of the "meditative state of mind" all morning, stood up and glared at Elladan.
"It's not going to work, that state of mind is reached to block out feelings, how and I supposed to transmit feelings to others if I can't feel them myself. Sometimes I wonder why we're even doing this."
"We're doing this, because your mother used to say that transmitting feelings was the next step after sensing the feelings of others and of course telekinesis." He said rolling his eyes upwards.
"Telekinesis!" Esmiel muttered under her breath, I'll show him telekinesis! Elladan turned back to face Esmiel only to see an armload or so of leaves explode in his face. He burst out laughing at the innocent look on his face.
Esmiel continued glare at him. He shouldn't be laughing! Then something in her glare changed, it felt almost as if all the exasperation was seeping out of her in a steady stream. She felt unexpectedly weak and empty her legs gave out beneath her and she fell to her knees.
At the sound of her falling Elladan turned. Suddenly he was fed up and angry. What did she think she was doing! Shock registered at his uncharacteristic turn of mood, she'd made him angry!
"Esmiel you did it!" he yelled, excitedly, he hurried over to where she sat. She looked up at him blankly.
"What?" her voice was very small.
"You did it. You gave me your anger." He said more gentle helping her up to the bench.
"That's nice." She said vaguely, "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to sleep now."
Once again the years passed as they have a habit of doing. The immortal elves passed through the centuries unaffected, but her mothers dying words lay heavily on Esmiel's mind.
A task would be laid before her? A knot formed in her stomach every time she remembered those words. Deep within her being she knew she would recognise this task when it came, but her mind was filled with a deep feeling of insecurity and uncertainty. Though she tried, she found difficulty keeping these feelings away from those around her.
It was Elladan, the youngest of Elrond's twin sons, who noticed. Elladan and Elrohir had always been sensitive to her, due to the bond they shared as twins, which always seemed to her very like a trait of her mothers people.
The twins had returned from a recent foray with the Rangers of the Wilds. Esmiel had shaken herself out of her brooding state and gone out to meet them, as the three of them had been close friends since her father had left and they had always taken the time to speak with her when she was a child.
"And where did the world sweep you of to this time, my friends?" she said as she embraced them in greeting.
"Far to the East." said Elrohir, his eyes filled with excitement, "Past the Iron Mountains, we came to a vast wasteland, which even elven eyes have difficulty seeing across. Far in the distance, on the horizon rose a range of jagged mountains. We have named them the Mountains of Long Past," he continued in a gentler tone, "For your mother as she must have travelled through them to reach Rivendell."
It was luck really that Elladan caught the fleeting spurt of grief and deep worry coming from Esmiel, before she contained her feelings once again. Elladan had learnt long ago that when Esmiel felt something very strongly it could sometimes be felt by those close to her.
Her grief he could understand easily, Esmiel was only early into her third century, and Laitha's memory would ache for a long time to come. It was the almost painful apprehension that confused him, why would the memory of her mother cause such worry? His curiosity peaked when, instead of remaining to speak with them longer, as was her habit, Esmiel excused herself and left with a small frown on her brow.
.
With her feet tucked underneath her and her head resting on her knees, Esmiel stared from the small garden, at the waterfalls running down to the ford of Bruinen. Even with her mind as occupied as it was, she sensed his presence before she heard him.
"A peaceful evening to you Elladan." She said looking over her shoulder at him as he appeared along the small garden path. He sat down on the bench near her looking out to the distance.
"What is this weight on your mind Esmiel?" He asked quietly. "Even you cannot hide that something is troubling you deeply. You need not fear telling me, have I not known you since you were a child?" She sighed heavily, lifting her eyes to looking into the unfathomable blackness of the night sky. Many minutes later she spoke.
"Do you know what she told me, my mother, the night she died." Esmiel said turning slightly to face him. "She told me that I am the last to carry the blood of her people and that for their memory to survive I will have to face some great task. Yet she would tell me nothing about it and I know in the core of my being that I am not ready for it. I feel lost and totally alone without her, there is a great part of me that is like her people and it is a part of me that I cannot control and she is not here to teach me. I feel hope, grief, love and hate that is not mine, but this only a tiny fraction of what is building up within me."
Elladan was silent for a long time, looking searchingly into her wide green eyes. While she was speaking he had felt her grief and confusion strongly almost as if it had been his own. He felt exhausted and she received feelings from people all the time, every day.
"Well," he began slowly, "You'll have to try and learn how to control this part of you then."
She smiled tiredly, "You make it sound as easy as learning to play the harp or to sing with the choruses."
"We'll just have to try and figure out how it works then won't we?" he smiled at her.
"We?" she said, raising one eyebrow and smiling.
.
"Try to regain the meditative state of mind again Esmiel. Let's try this again." Elladan said tiredly. He had too admit that he was almost totally lost. Magic and meditation and never factored largely in his life and the books and scrolls he had found on the subject had been either too complicated or too obscure. He had dredged up some of the old memories of basic elvish healing he and Elrohir had received from their father when they were but elflings.
Esmiel, who had been coming in and out of the "meditative state of mind" all morning, stood up and glared at Elladan.
"It's not going to work, that state of mind is reached to block out feelings, how and I supposed to transmit feelings to others if I can't feel them myself. Sometimes I wonder why we're even doing this."
"We're doing this, because your mother used to say that transmitting feelings was the next step after sensing the feelings of others and of course telekinesis." He said rolling his eyes upwards.
"Telekinesis!" Esmiel muttered under her breath, I'll show him telekinesis! Elladan turned back to face Esmiel only to see an armload or so of leaves explode in his face. He burst out laughing at the innocent look on his face.
Esmiel continued glare at him. He shouldn't be laughing! Then something in her glare changed, it felt almost as if all the exasperation was seeping out of her in a steady stream. She felt unexpectedly weak and empty her legs gave out beneath her and she fell to her knees.
At the sound of her falling Elladan turned. Suddenly he was fed up and angry. What did she think she was doing! Shock registered at his uncharacteristic turn of mood, she'd made him angry!
"Esmiel you did it!" he yelled, excitedly, he hurried over to where she sat. She looked up at him blankly.
"What?" her voice was very small.
"You did it. You gave me your anger." He said more gentle helping her up to the bench.
"That's nice." She said vaguely, "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to sleep now."