Chapter 9


Careful not to disturb the water, I lower my legs so I am no longer floating on the placid surface. I sink down until submerged and swim toward the banks of the river. When my knees touch the smooth stones of the riverbed, I surface, careful to be quiet; though suddenly I realize that I have no reason to hide. Standing unabashedly, I turn a slow circle, scanning the clearing.

It is close to unnaturally silent now, with no bird song and only the gentle lapping sounds of the water left to break the silence. The betraying signs of twigs snapping are gone, but I am still wary. I will not trust a moment of quiet to prove that I am alone.

My paranoia is justified when a tall shadow moves in the darkness under the trees. Multiple shapes of contrasting blackness slip between the tall trunks, the soft sounds of movement betraying their location. My ears are trained to such noise and I instantly know that I am surrounded.

I am suddenly afraid. Not of death, because at times I long for that. But, there are worse things than dying.

I lived in Imladris for the first fifteen years of my life, until they were sure I could survive alone. True, I was isolated from the rest of the city, but I learned my own history. They told me why I was so loathed. They told me of my mother. I am an offspring of rape, born with the taint of Sauron. That is why I could not be a part of the society I longed for. No one wanted the stain of my heritage, the stench of my past.

The tall shapes worry me. I do not want my mother's legacy. I know that my face is not ugly, for it is my mother's face, and that my body is toned by years of travel. In my current state of soaked undress, I am an easy target.

The shadows are closer now, close enough to be recognizable as men in armor. I can hear the heavy clink of sword belts and chain mail. A low murmur suggest voices which do not attempt to be hushed. Perhaps they are merely intent upon a drink or a bath in this beautiful space. If that is the case, then I am probably not yet spotted. I could run and hide, but I do not.

I have a sense that whatever, or whomever, these shapes prove to be, they will not harm me. I want them to discover me. I am eager to be recognized as alive. The thought is thrilling. No more a phantom, I am alive.

I take a deep breath as the shadows step into the sunlight.