Galadriel and Celelborn were riding towards Mirkwood with Haldir leading the way. The twins and Arwen were joining them as well. The Lord and Lady of Lothlorien were happy to hear that Nanaylia, the only daughter of Thranduil, sister to Legolas, was finally found after centuries of believing she had perished. The three siblings relayed the story to them on how Elladan, Elrohir, Aragorn and Legolas headed towards the dangerous part of Mirkwood and the following sequence of events leading to the discovery of their friend among the people living there and how she was forced to stay there against her will.
"I am so happy that Legolas finally has his sister back," Galadriel quietly told herself as she looked over at her husband, who smiled at her. "Whenever he came to Lothlorien, I could always tell that he was missing a part of himself. He was so alone without her."
"I know. I can hardly imagine how Legolas must feel to have her back after all this time. I remember the last time we were here just before she returned. He was almost to the point of seclusion," Celeborn agreed.
"It has been a few years since her return, hasn't it?" Galadriel said with a smile. "We were told that she had returned a few years ago but were unable to come out and see her until now."
Celeborn continued to smile as the palace of Mirkwood came into view. The elves could tell that things were different almost immediately. Different aspects of the greenery that were done only when Nanaylia was around had come back. The elves that were around the area seemed to be more at ease with their surroundings. Galadriel could sense that a fear that had been within them before was now gone, as if an evil was now vanquished.
"This place is at peace, more than what it has been in years," she said aloud.
The group looked at her out of the corners of their eyes. They all agreed with her: the place had changed for the better.
The group soon arrived in the palace to be greeted by Chimone.
"What a pleasure it is to be graced by your presence," she told them, bowing her head.
"Chimone, it is so good to see you again. How are Thranduil, Legolas and Nanaylia doing?" Celeborn asked her.
"Thranduil and Legolas are both relieved with Nanaylia's return. Nanaylia is the same elf as she was before she was kidnapped," Chimone replied with a smile. "Also, the two children are the same as they were before it all happened. Always planning something to do to the other."
"That is good to hear," Haldir said as he walked up behind the Lord and Lady. "They sound the same as they were before this incident happened. They've always been the mischievious pair, just like a set of twins that I know."
He received two stares of anger as he looked at Galadriel, who had a worried look on her face. Haldir put on a worried look as well.
"What is wrong?" Haldir asked her, becoming a bit worried himself.
"Yes, what is wrong? Is there an evil force around somewhere? What?" wondered Arwen.
"I feel some sort of magic around here. I cannot tell if it is an evil magic or a good one," she replied as she began to walk around the room. Haldir stayed just outside the room.
The three siblings looked at each other. They knew what it was from. Nanaylia. They didn't tell Galadriel that bit of information but all figured that Galadriel already knew that.
"What happened to her?" Galadriel suddenly asked the three.
The twins and Arwen were slightly confused by this.
"What happened to Nanaylia when she was in the 'Dark Forest'?" Galadriel demanded to know. "Is there something you haven't told me that I should know about?"
"We are sorry but we thought you already knew," Elrohir apologized.
"I have not done that. I believed that my own family would tell me all that I needed to know about someone I care about who had been missing for centuries," she replied in a slightly angry voice. "Now tell me what happened to her."
Arwen soon elbowed Elrohir in his ribs and he was not happy with it.
"What was that for?" he asked her in an angry whisper.
"It was your idea not to tell her. That is why you received that," she replied in a quiet voice.
The three looked at her before Arwen stepped forward.
"She was taken by Manlin and transformed into a gargoyle. It was done through a process that involved the dark arts and magic. He was killed during that incident a few years ago," she quietly explained to Galadriel.
Galadriel paled at the explanation. It was barely audible and she still heard it. She almost appeared shocked at the news. This action confused everyone around her.
"And Manlin is truly dead, as you say?" she wanted to know.
"He is dead. We all saw Legolas slay him," Elrohir told her as Elladan nodded his head.
Galadriel couldn't say anything as she looked over at her husband before glancing over at Haldir, who was still standing outside the door. Her stare finally came back to the twins and Arwen.
"I cannot believe it that he is dead but you all speak the truth," was all she could say. "She has magical capabilities. She performed a spell and now they are gone. I do not sense her presence around here."
The group was slightly confused but her statements. The first one seemed very mysterious to the twins and Arwen. The second did not confuse them since they expected Nanaylia to perform magic anytime now.
"She cannot believe that Manlin is dead? Why would she say that?" Arwen murmured to her brothers. They both shrugged her shoulders as they watched their grandmother.
"I cannot sense Legolas or Thranduil around here either! They must be with her! Wherever she is. We have to find out where the spell was performed and where they have gone! We must find them!" cried Galadriel as she hurried out of the room.
The others quickly followed her outside. They watched as she hurried towards a more secluded area of the place.
"Where are we going?" wondered Haldir as he began to walk beside Galadriel.
"To the place where the spell was performed. I can sense the presence of the forces more somewhere else than in the room, as if something was cast," she replied as she stopped in a clearing.
The group of six looked around the area. Galadriel had a look on her face that said 'this is the place'.
"They were here. I can feel it," she whispered.
"Where could they have gone to so quickly?" wondered Elladan as he walked up to the trees.
He looked at them as his brother stepped up beside him. Elladan soon became confused as he continued to stare at the trees.
"This is strange," he muttered as he placed a hand on the trunk.
"What is it Elladan? What is wrong?" wondered Elrohir.
"This is wrong," replied Elladan as he put his hand out to his brother.
"What the...?" wondered Elrohir as Galadriel walked over to them.
Celeborn, Arwen and Haldir were right behind them and were just as surprised at what they saw.
"How could blood find its way onto a tree?" asked Galadriel. "And whose is it? And is that elf alright?"
TBC...
"I am so happy that Legolas finally has his sister back," Galadriel quietly told herself as she looked over at her husband, who smiled at her. "Whenever he came to Lothlorien, I could always tell that he was missing a part of himself. He was so alone without her."
"I know. I can hardly imagine how Legolas must feel to have her back after all this time. I remember the last time we were here just before she returned. He was almost to the point of seclusion," Celeborn agreed.
"It has been a few years since her return, hasn't it?" Galadriel said with a smile. "We were told that she had returned a few years ago but were unable to come out and see her until now."
Celeborn continued to smile as the palace of Mirkwood came into view. The elves could tell that things were different almost immediately. Different aspects of the greenery that were done only when Nanaylia was around had come back. The elves that were around the area seemed to be more at ease with their surroundings. Galadriel could sense that a fear that had been within them before was now gone, as if an evil was now vanquished.
"This place is at peace, more than what it has been in years," she said aloud.
The group looked at her out of the corners of their eyes. They all agreed with her: the place had changed for the better.
The group soon arrived in the palace to be greeted by Chimone.
"What a pleasure it is to be graced by your presence," she told them, bowing her head.
"Chimone, it is so good to see you again. How are Thranduil, Legolas and Nanaylia doing?" Celeborn asked her.
"Thranduil and Legolas are both relieved with Nanaylia's return. Nanaylia is the same elf as she was before she was kidnapped," Chimone replied with a smile. "Also, the two children are the same as they were before it all happened. Always planning something to do to the other."
"That is good to hear," Haldir said as he walked up behind the Lord and Lady. "They sound the same as they were before this incident happened. They've always been the mischievious pair, just like a set of twins that I know."
He received two stares of anger as he looked at Galadriel, who had a worried look on her face. Haldir put on a worried look as well.
"What is wrong?" Haldir asked her, becoming a bit worried himself.
"Yes, what is wrong? Is there an evil force around somewhere? What?" wondered Arwen.
"I feel some sort of magic around here. I cannot tell if it is an evil magic or a good one," she replied as she began to walk around the room. Haldir stayed just outside the room.
The three siblings looked at each other. They knew what it was from. Nanaylia. They didn't tell Galadriel that bit of information but all figured that Galadriel already knew that.
"What happened to her?" Galadriel suddenly asked the three.
The twins and Arwen were slightly confused by this.
"What happened to Nanaylia when she was in the 'Dark Forest'?" Galadriel demanded to know. "Is there something you haven't told me that I should know about?"
"We are sorry but we thought you already knew," Elrohir apologized.
"I have not done that. I believed that my own family would tell me all that I needed to know about someone I care about who had been missing for centuries," she replied in a slightly angry voice. "Now tell me what happened to her."
Arwen soon elbowed Elrohir in his ribs and he was not happy with it.
"What was that for?" he asked her in an angry whisper.
"It was your idea not to tell her. That is why you received that," she replied in a quiet voice.
The three looked at her before Arwen stepped forward.
"She was taken by Manlin and transformed into a gargoyle. It was done through a process that involved the dark arts and magic. He was killed during that incident a few years ago," she quietly explained to Galadriel.
Galadriel paled at the explanation. It was barely audible and she still heard it. She almost appeared shocked at the news. This action confused everyone around her.
"And Manlin is truly dead, as you say?" she wanted to know.
"He is dead. We all saw Legolas slay him," Elrohir told her as Elladan nodded his head.
Galadriel couldn't say anything as she looked over at her husband before glancing over at Haldir, who was still standing outside the door. Her stare finally came back to the twins and Arwen.
"I cannot believe it that he is dead but you all speak the truth," was all she could say. "She has magical capabilities. She performed a spell and now they are gone. I do not sense her presence around here."
The group was slightly confused but her statements. The first one seemed very mysterious to the twins and Arwen. The second did not confuse them since they expected Nanaylia to perform magic anytime now.
"She cannot believe that Manlin is dead? Why would she say that?" Arwen murmured to her brothers. They both shrugged her shoulders as they watched their grandmother.
"I cannot sense Legolas or Thranduil around here either! They must be with her! Wherever she is. We have to find out where the spell was performed and where they have gone! We must find them!" cried Galadriel as she hurried out of the room.
The others quickly followed her outside. They watched as she hurried towards a more secluded area of the place.
"Where are we going?" wondered Haldir as he began to walk beside Galadriel.
"To the place where the spell was performed. I can sense the presence of the forces more somewhere else than in the room, as if something was cast," she replied as she stopped in a clearing.
The group of six looked around the area. Galadriel had a look on her face that said 'this is the place'.
"They were here. I can feel it," she whispered.
"Where could they have gone to so quickly?" wondered Elladan as he walked up to the trees.
He looked at them as his brother stepped up beside him. Elladan soon became confused as he continued to stare at the trees.
"This is strange," he muttered as he placed a hand on the trunk.
"What is it Elladan? What is wrong?" wondered Elrohir.
"This is wrong," replied Elladan as he put his hand out to his brother.
"What the...?" wondered Elrohir as Galadriel walked over to them.
Celeborn, Arwen and Haldir were right behind them and were just as surprised at what they saw.
"How could blood find its way onto a tree?" asked Galadriel. "And whose is it? And is that elf alright?"
TBC...