Chapter Two
"Mama! Mama!"
The weather was fierce, rain poured down hard, fighting against the windows as if trying to break it down. Darkness was coming before a storm, gray clouds forming in the sky, covering all light. Thunder roared and lightening crashed, the howling of the wind brought a sense of dread into the air.
A young woman came and kneeled next to the little girl, calling for her. She wrapped her arms around the trembling child.
"Hush now...Aelinia...hush.." She whispered softly into her ears, soothing her. The trembling body slowly resided, but the fear did not go away.
"Why is it raining so hard?" A little girl asked, burying her face into her mother's shoulder.
The young woman smiled and replied, "Because we need water to live and the Arda understands that it is time for it to cast down water for us to use. For you, my child, when you are thirsty!" Grabbing a small jug from the table she placed it between the girl's lips. "Without the rain, you would not have water to drink."
The little girl's tear stained face broke into a smile and said, "Than I will have to thank the Arda for giving us water!"
The young woman laughed and replied, "Yes! Yes you will have to."
"What is the Arda?" Another voice came out.
A boy, a bit older than the little girl came crawling out from under a bed. The thunder had frightened him, never had he heard something so long and unpleasant to his ears.
Motioning for him to join them, he crawled to where his mother and sister sat, warm and cozy in front of a small fire.
"The Arda," She began, "in the language of the Eldar days, means The World, and all that lives within it. It was created through the music of Ainur, which means the great music, to be the dwelling place for the children of llúvatar, which are the Men and the Elves."
"Elves!" The little girl cried with delight. The stories of the Elves always fascinated her, though she had come to know some in her life, they were still a mystery to her and she loved them.
The young woman laughed again, knowing how much her daughter enjoys the stories of the graceful beings.
"Tell us another story of the Elves, please, Mama?"
The little boy nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with his little sister, he too, wanted to know more about the Elves.
The young woman sighed. She knew this was coming.
"Are you sure? It IS getting quite late..." She said playfully, pointing out the window. The storm was still strong, the rain had not yet cease to fall with such force, but the lightening and thunder had died down, causing the wind to blow more gently.
"Oh, Mama! It is still early yet! I am not tired!" cried the little girl with dismay, "please tell a story!"
"Please tell us!" The little boy had now joined the pleading, in hopes of turning his mind away from the dreadful weather.
"Oh all right, but one story only, after, you two must both go to bed."
The children cried out with delight, both huddled with their mother closer. The fire crackled as if urging her to start a tale.
Having both of her arms around her children, she begun her tale.
"There is one elf, whom is the greatest of all in the history of Middle Earth," She began, "His name is Elrond Peredhil, Peredhil meaning Half Elven, which is not so common amongst the people, even now. He had a twin brother named Elros, whom he was very close with. There are many great deeds that he accomplished, he marched with Gil-Galad through the War of the Last Alliance, which is a war when both Men and Elves march against the fortress of Sauron, Barad-dûr in Mordor."
"Mordor..."The little boy whispered, "the evil place."
"Yes, the place is evil. It is a land walled by mountains, there Sauron laid his stronghold, it is also known as The Black Land."
The little girl shuddered. "This elf rode against the evil man who created the Black Land?"
"Yes. Indeed he did, with the High King Gil-Galad. Together they defeated Sauron, but his life was lost with the war."
"Oh!" "There were many loses Elrond had to deal with in his life. First his mother and father, than his brother, Gil-Galad, and others which I shall tell you both at another time."
"His mother and father? You mean he did not have them when he was growing up?" Aelinia asked.
The young woman smiled sadly, "No, no he did not. He had lost them when he was a little boy, no younger than you are."
Her wide eyes filled with tears, she clung onto her mother tightly. How can anyone grop up with their mother and father?
"He must be very brave."
"He is, yes, and that is what makes him so great, young one." She responded, "and now.."she said in a mysterious tone, "what you both need in order to be great is..."
The little boy looked up curiously, "What?"
"SLEEP!" She cheerfully lift up both children with no burden, and marched towards their beds.
The two children giggled and cried for help.
"Oh Mama! We do not need to sleep!" He cried. "Tell us more!"
She settled her children in bed, tucking them tightly beneath the soft covers, despite their protesting, she placed a finger on both of their lips and said, "There are many stories I have yet to tell you, but you must wait, or there might be one day I will run out of stories to tell you!"
Kissing them both of the forehead, "So we must take our time, one day, you will hear all of the stories. And maybe.." Her eyes twinkled, "Maybe one of these days, you will be able to write your own."
"Write our own?" The little boy asked incredulously, "How?"
"By accomplishing great deeds, by being honorable people, by having respect for others you will be able to write your own story to tell your children in the future, just as what I am doing now."
"Like the elf, Elrond?"
"Yes, like Elrond, I believe he too, will tell his children the same thing."
"Really?" She smiled, "Really, now both of you, go to sleep. Or no more stories."
Yawning, the two children settled quietly, not wanting to risk not having any stories, soon, they fell fast asleep.
The young woman gazed at them with deep affection, the Valar had graced her with two adorable children, everyday she watched them grow, she prayed that they will become a beautiful maiden and an honorable man.
A urgent knock at the door brought her back to her senses. She thought to herself, "Who should be here at so late an hour?"
She walked briskly to the door and opened it.
There stood a man, wet from head to toe, a full beard covered his visage along with long dark hair, clinging onto his skin due to the rain. His eyes were dark and tired.
"Beran! What calls you upon my doorstep this late of hour?" She asked in surprise. "You are soaking wet! Will you not come in to dry off?" Beran is a man that lived in a village not very far away from where she lived, they meet sometimes for trade, other than that, there was not much occurrences together.
Beran replied in a gruffy voice, "Nay, there is urgent news I must tell you." His eyes flicked to the ground.
"What is it?"
"Orcs had been gathering around the borders. They tried to overcome the village not more than five leagues beyond where we stand, but they failed."
The young woman stared at him, not understanding the point he is trying to make. "I suppose this is good news, but why on my doorstep? Their failure surely is good for the people?"
Beran shifted his feet, "Good at a great cost."
"What do you mean?"
"I understand that your husband went riding to fight against these beasts...."
oh no
"I wish there was some other way I can tell this to you, but I am afraid that there is no other way."
Her saddened eyes gazed into Beran's own. She understood what he came to say. "Where is he?" She asked softly.
Taken off guard by her response, he replied rather hesitantly, "He um...he..."
"I know what is it that you have to say, please, just tell me where my husband is."
Beran swallowed hard, "He is not far out from here, there are men bringing him in."
At the same time, a group of men walked slowly towards them. They all carried a bed of some sort, made out of grass and hay, pulled together strong enough to hold a man. And a man is what it held. He lay upon his back, blood drenched his clothes, some his own, some not. His dark, brown hair indicates that he was still young, dry blood covered one of his eye, upon his chest lay a single sword. Still he was as a stone, with little droplets of rain splashing on him.
They lay the bed on the ground, one of the men walked towards where Beran and the woman stood.
"I am sorry for your loss," He said, "We did everything we can to salvage his life, but in the end, it was too late."
She did not speak. She could not take her eyes away from the image in front of her. The man whom she loved so is gone, now he lay stone cold in front of her. The smile he had when she said something amusing will no longer appear, his gentle voice soothing her when she was frightened will never be heard, and his children...
Her heart stopped.
He will never be able to see his children grow up, and they no longer had a father.
She walked and kneeled next to the body. Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer, begging the Valar to take her love to a safe place, allowing his soul to rest in peace. The other men were about to leave when she opened her eyes and beckoned them to stay.
"Please", she said, "Please help me" Blinking back tears, "Please help me bury my husband somewhere safe, I do not want my children to see what we are all seeing now."
Beran nodded and replied, "I understand." He stepped down from where he stood, leading the men to carry the body once more.
Not much longer later, she watched the men lower her husband to the ground. She scattered petals of flowers she had gather that morning, to bring to him when he returned. He has returned, but the way she had to give the flowers to him was never the way she had in her mind. Trying hard to hold back her tears, she scattered them all over his cold body.
"Be at peace." She whispered softly. The wind carried her voice, she felt it caressing her tired body, giving her comfort. Not being able to watch the men covering him up, she went up to Baren to give him her gratitude, and left back to her home.
Wearily she walked up the steps, letting her legs sink onto the floor, there she sat, watching the sun rise. The sky was clearing, the clouds had disappeared, the long wash of rain had cleared away all the shadows, a white light appeared on the horizon, spreading across the lands. Birds started to sing merrily, greeting the new dawn.
A single tear rolled down her cheeks as she took in what had happened through the night. The orcs had taken away the man whom she loved so much, only hours ago had she bid him farewell, to be careful on his journey, packing his food in his bags.
"You must eat to have energy!"
A man stood and laughed, "All I need it you, my love. All else is nothing."
She laughed, happy of what he said. "Yes, that is what you say now, but when you are out there in the dark, under the moon, with your pouches empty you will not be thinking of me, rather of what I will be cooking when you get home." She stuffed many things into his bag, sealing it, than handing it to him.
"Oh what will I do with out you?" He said, gathering her in his arms.
"Starve." She replied simply, enjoying his embrace and the touch of his arms against her skin. He bend down and planted a kiss on her lips, inhaling in her love.
"Go say good bye to the children." She said softly, returning his kiss. He nodded and walked quietly into their room.
The two children lay in their beds, with dreams so pleasant they both had smiles upon their faces. The boy slept near the girl, their hands nearly touched.
He kissed them both on their foreheads. They did not feel it.
"He is very protective of her."
The boy's fingers curled around the little girls' as they slept.
"Just the other day, he rescued her by leading a spider out of the house."
He smiled softly and gazed at his children as his wife came and stood by his side. "He will grow up and become a great man." She smiled also and said, "And she will become a beautiful maiden." He looked up and saw her smiling down at him, "Just like her mother.." he said softly. She bend down and kissed him slightly, "Just like his father."
Giving one more glance at his children, he said, "I should get going."
Grabbing his things he turned to his wife. "I cannot wait seeing you again."
She laughed again, "It is only for a day."
"A day would seem like a lifetime."
"Oh that tongue of yours! You better go before you are late!" She slapped his shoulders.
"Until later tonight."
She smiled and replied, "Until tonight."
He blew her a kiss and rode off on his horse.
And that was the last image she seen of him, riding off into the dawn, with other men gathered together. Now the dawn had once again graced the lands, but his presence is nowhere to be seen.
"Until tonight.." She whispered, "Why have you gone?"
...........why have you gone.........
A loud beep rang.
Alexia lazily banged her alarm clock off. With her head spinning she glanced at her clock. It read 7:00AM.
She groaned and let her head sink back into her pillow. Why has morning come so fast? Her dream was going so well. Vaguely she remembered something about a woman and her kids, did something happen to her husband?
She couldn't remember.
"Agh, this is so annoying..." She murmured, kicking off her covers, Nearly tripping over her books which scattered all over her floor, she went and opened her curtains. The sun poured in and blinded her watery eyes. It looked to be a great day.
"Great, a starting of another damn day."
Stacking her books up on her desk, she changed into her school clothes and picked up her tote. She picked up her keys and was about to leave the room when something caught her eye.
On her nightstand there lay a beautiful pendent. Memories flooded back into her brain, she remembered suddenly of her little incident last night, finding the necklace, falling from a tree. No wonder her backside was a bit sore, that solved the mystery.
But the pendant itself was a mystery, a mystery with no leads. She picked it up and studied it carefully, it was unlike anything she'd ever seen, it had a familiar feel to it, and yet, it seemed to be a stranger to her. Seeing that she was going to be late, she stuffed it into her pocket, ran down the stairs, grabbed her skateboard and bolted out the door.
Alexia let the wind wake her up from her sleep as she glided down the street. The morning was bright, but her mind was still clouded. After yesterday's episode with her father, she was not feeling very cheery. Feeling the bulge beneath her pocket she thought, "what am I going to do with you?"
Turning onto the street of her school, she leaped off her board and walked towards the gate. She mumbled a Good Morning as the guard said hi to her merrily, she dodged the early traffic of students crowded within the hallways to get to her locker. Passing by a classroom window, she caught a glimpse of her reflection.
Alexia was not very tall, she had fair skin, a bit tanned from the sun, her long, dark brown hair tied back in a pony tail, her brown eyes that once twinkled had lost its light, like a soul leaving its body. She quickly walked pass and went to her locker. Concentrating on her combination, she swung it open.
......Alexia.....
She heard her name. She turned to see who it was.
There was no one.
There were girls behind her fussing with their make up, each trying to get a glance of themselves with their compacts, applying mascara. Another group of guys stood on the other side, yelling and calling out atrocious things.
Alexia frowned, something is wrong with her ears.
"Alexia!"
She jumped. This time, she saw a guy waving at her as he walked.
"Oh, hey, Mike." She replied mono toned, turning back to her locker.
Confused, he asked," Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"
"More like the wrong place on earth." She mumbled, slamming her locker shut. "Oh C'mon, life can't be that bad."
She glared at him.
Sensing her antipathy towards him he quickly said, "Ok ok I'll shut up now."
Alexia sighed. "I didn't mean to be so touchy, I just didn't have a good sleep that's all."
"Studying for Economics I would guess? God, that class can kill me now!"
Alexia gasped. "Dammit! I forgot we had a test!"
Mike's eyebrows shot up. "You are kidding right? It is only one of THE important tests this semester!"
"Shit."
She started to run.
"Hey! Wait up!"
"I gotta go study fast!" She called out, "I will see you later!"
Leaving Mike behind, she dashed through the hallways and went straight to the library, good thing she left a bit early today, she still had time to go through her notes. Settling down, she flipped open her book. Out fell a slip of paper.
"Hmm.." She thought, "I don't remember having this." She looked at the paper, on it was scribbles of writings that she didn't understand. Noting it as trash, she crumbled it up and threw it into the trash can. Taking a breath, she started to read through her notes.
"Mama, where is Papa?"
"Papa has gone somewhere far away."
"Why has he gone?"
Choking back tears the young woman replied as gently as possible, "To protect us from harm, so you must give him your blessing, to let him know that you love him."
"I will remember." The young girl replied earnestly. "But why are we leaving?"
"Yea, why are we leaving? Can't we wait for Papa here?" The little boy joined in.
"No, my children, we must go somewhere safe, somewhere that we can be protected by." She gathered their things, many precious things had been sorted into bags and boxes. Memories stored away, for her children she must be strong. She did not have the heart to tell them the fate of their father, it was too soon, the pain was still too great. One day she will tell them, in her stories, tell them how brave their father had been.
"My Lady? Are these what you are to bring?" A tall man pointed to the boxes.
"Yes, yes they are." She looked up at him.
"Thank you."
The tall man glanced at her and said, "There is no need to give thanks, my Lady."
"Oh yes there is! You helped bring back my husband, if you were not there.....I do not believe I would ever had the chance to set my eyes on him again." With that thought, fresh pain stabbed her heart, she felt his arms embracing her in a friendly hug.
"I had wished you were not to have your last memory of his like that." He said, placing his hands upon her shoulder, looking into her eyes.
She smiled gratefully and replied, "You had done much, ever since of our arrival. You, your brother, and your father...." She looked away, seeing her children happily stuffing their things into the boxes, with no knowledge of the truth. "your father has done too much, and now this, I do not know how can I ever repay, knowing that I might not be able to..."
"As I have said, there is no need. Even if you were willing, my father would never have accepted it."
"Your father is a great person."
A sense of pride glowed upon his eyes. "Yes he is....amongst all people, he would understand your pain." His eyes shadowed, "he knows what you are going through, and with that thought, he does not wish for you to experience the pain he had to endure all those long years."
Silence fell upon them. Neither of them speaking, Suddenly, a loud bang rung them out of their thoughts.
"Oy! Be careful there, young ones!"
A grin appeared on the man's lips, "Must be the children causing him trouble."
A flash of horror crossed her strained face, "Oh no! The children must not trouble him! I will go call on them at once." "Oh please do not do so!" He quickly said, blocking her way. "I think my good brother there could use a good exercise with the young ones."
Another crash could be heard, a yelp rung in the air.
The tall man could not help but smirk when he heard the two children giggling merrily at whatever mischief they caused.
The young woman saw his face and started to chuckle as well, whenever her two children were with them, they were always happy.
"When are you going to tell them?"
She shook her head. "I do not know. When the time is right...when they can understand..."
He nodded in understanding. "I suppose it is time to go."
Leading her out the door, he stepped down the small stairs, but stopped abruptly as he took in the sight in front of him..
His brother lay sprawled on the ground, with leaves all over him, the two children laughed in delight as they tugged at him, bidding him to stand up and play with them. They had piled a large pile of leaves earlier, and had wanted him to leap in. He did not want to but being too close to the pile, the girl leaped into the pile causing the leaves to fly all over the place, and unaware of another jumping right behind him, the little boy leaped right onto his back, causing him to lose balance. The next thing he knew, leaves were all part of his body, and all part of the little children's play.
Then he heard loud laughter roaring across the grounds.
"Oy, Elladan! A little help would be nice you know." He shouted.
"Ha! Can you not see that my arms are full?" Quickly he lift up a box, carrying it to the wagon, loaded already with things.
Murmuring something about a heartless orc, he dragged himself to his feet, picking out the leaves that stuck to his tunic.
"You know, Elrohir, you ought to be more careful the next time, "Elladan said with caution, reigning the horses in place as he helped the laughing children onto the wagon. "one of these days, this vicious children could possibly bring you down!"
Elrohir scowled and called out to the young woman, "Now you would not let them do that now, would you, Gilraen?"
Gilraen smiled slyly and retorted, "Now the children are growing rather fast, I will have to say, soon, I would not be able to control them!"
Elladan laughed at the humor hinted in her voice. It was good to see her a bit relaxed, his father had cautioned him, making her laugh would be the best remedy on the road.
Soon they all gathered on the wagon, everything tightly secured, with Elladan at the reigns and Elrohir riding on a separate horse at their side, everything seemed to be prepared.
"You are sure nothing is left behind?" Elrohir asked.
"No, I have packed everything." Gilraen replied sadly, looking at the house she had spent for some time.
A hand was placed on her shoulders, Elladan said reassuringly, "Everything will be just fine."
She gave him a small smile and nodded.
"Mama, where are we going again?" Aelinia asked.
"To Rivendell, my sweet."
"Rivendell...."
Elrohir laughed, "Yes, my little lady, to Rivendell! Or to the elves it would be, Imladris, the house of Elrond."
Her eyes went wide. "Elrond?"
That had also caught the attention of the little boy, "The Elrond? As in Peredhil?"
Elladan gave Gilraen a glance, "You have taught them who he is?"
She answered, "Just stories, nothing more."
"Well, I am impressed." He said, eyeing the children. "And what, may I ask, Aragorn, does a Peredhil mean?"
"Half-Elven!" They both cried out gleefully.
"Father would find this quite interesting."
"Would he now?"
Elladan chuckled and said, "As the lore master and accomplice of many other things, I can already see him teaching them the many knowledge that he possesses, the skills of healing, and by the Valar who knows what else."
Gilraen said quietly, "Then he would make a great father."
"He would treat them as their own, Gilraen," he said softly, "You need not worry."
"I know..." she whispered, "I know..."
All right, I found the path of where this story would lead to. I hope you all like the story so far, I can feel its going to be a long story, please read and review!
"Mama! Mama!"
The weather was fierce, rain poured down hard, fighting against the windows as if trying to break it down. Darkness was coming before a storm, gray clouds forming in the sky, covering all light. Thunder roared and lightening crashed, the howling of the wind brought a sense of dread into the air.
A young woman came and kneeled next to the little girl, calling for her. She wrapped her arms around the trembling child.
"Hush now...Aelinia...hush.." She whispered softly into her ears, soothing her. The trembling body slowly resided, but the fear did not go away.
"Why is it raining so hard?" A little girl asked, burying her face into her mother's shoulder.
The young woman smiled and replied, "Because we need water to live and the Arda understands that it is time for it to cast down water for us to use. For you, my child, when you are thirsty!" Grabbing a small jug from the table she placed it between the girl's lips. "Without the rain, you would not have water to drink."
The little girl's tear stained face broke into a smile and said, "Than I will have to thank the Arda for giving us water!"
The young woman laughed and replied, "Yes! Yes you will have to."
"What is the Arda?" Another voice came out.
A boy, a bit older than the little girl came crawling out from under a bed. The thunder had frightened him, never had he heard something so long and unpleasant to his ears.
Motioning for him to join them, he crawled to where his mother and sister sat, warm and cozy in front of a small fire.
"The Arda," She began, "in the language of the Eldar days, means The World, and all that lives within it. It was created through the music of Ainur, which means the great music, to be the dwelling place for the children of llúvatar, which are the Men and the Elves."
"Elves!" The little girl cried with delight. The stories of the Elves always fascinated her, though she had come to know some in her life, they were still a mystery to her and she loved them.
The young woman laughed again, knowing how much her daughter enjoys the stories of the graceful beings.
"Tell us another story of the Elves, please, Mama?"
The little boy nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with his little sister, he too, wanted to know more about the Elves.
The young woman sighed. She knew this was coming.
"Are you sure? It IS getting quite late..." She said playfully, pointing out the window. The storm was still strong, the rain had not yet cease to fall with such force, but the lightening and thunder had died down, causing the wind to blow more gently.
"Oh, Mama! It is still early yet! I am not tired!" cried the little girl with dismay, "please tell a story!"
"Please tell us!" The little boy had now joined the pleading, in hopes of turning his mind away from the dreadful weather.
"Oh all right, but one story only, after, you two must both go to bed."
The children cried out with delight, both huddled with their mother closer. The fire crackled as if urging her to start a tale.
Having both of her arms around her children, she begun her tale.
"There is one elf, whom is the greatest of all in the history of Middle Earth," She began, "His name is Elrond Peredhil, Peredhil meaning Half Elven, which is not so common amongst the people, even now. He had a twin brother named Elros, whom he was very close with. There are many great deeds that he accomplished, he marched with Gil-Galad through the War of the Last Alliance, which is a war when both Men and Elves march against the fortress of Sauron, Barad-dûr in Mordor."
"Mordor..."The little boy whispered, "the evil place."
"Yes, the place is evil. It is a land walled by mountains, there Sauron laid his stronghold, it is also known as The Black Land."
The little girl shuddered. "This elf rode against the evil man who created the Black Land?"
"Yes. Indeed he did, with the High King Gil-Galad. Together they defeated Sauron, but his life was lost with the war."
"Oh!" "There were many loses Elrond had to deal with in his life. First his mother and father, than his brother, Gil-Galad, and others which I shall tell you both at another time."
"His mother and father? You mean he did not have them when he was growing up?" Aelinia asked.
The young woman smiled sadly, "No, no he did not. He had lost them when he was a little boy, no younger than you are."
Her wide eyes filled with tears, she clung onto her mother tightly. How can anyone grop up with their mother and father?
"He must be very brave."
"He is, yes, and that is what makes him so great, young one." She responded, "and now.."she said in a mysterious tone, "what you both need in order to be great is..."
The little boy looked up curiously, "What?"
"SLEEP!" She cheerfully lift up both children with no burden, and marched towards their beds.
The two children giggled and cried for help.
"Oh Mama! We do not need to sleep!" He cried. "Tell us more!"
She settled her children in bed, tucking them tightly beneath the soft covers, despite their protesting, she placed a finger on both of their lips and said, "There are many stories I have yet to tell you, but you must wait, or there might be one day I will run out of stories to tell you!"
Kissing them both of the forehead, "So we must take our time, one day, you will hear all of the stories. And maybe.." Her eyes twinkled, "Maybe one of these days, you will be able to write your own."
"Write our own?" The little boy asked incredulously, "How?"
"By accomplishing great deeds, by being honorable people, by having respect for others you will be able to write your own story to tell your children in the future, just as what I am doing now."
"Like the elf, Elrond?"
"Yes, like Elrond, I believe he too, will tell his children the same thing."
"Really?" She smiled, "Really, now both of you, go to sleep. Or no more stories."
Yawning, the two children settled quietly, not wanting to risk not having any stories, soon, they fell fast asleep.
The young woman gazed at them with deep affection, the Valar had graced her with two adorable children, everyday she watched them grow, she prayed that they will become a beautiful maiden and an honorable man.
A urgent knock at the door brought her back to her senses. She thought to herself, "Who should be here at so late an hour?"
She walked briskly to the door and opened it.
There stood a man, wet from head to toe, a full beard covered his visage along with long dark hair, clinging onto his skin due to the rain. His eyes were dark and tired.
"Beran! What calls you upon my doorstep this late of hour?" She asked in surprise. "You are soaking wet! Will you not come in to dry off?" Beran is a man that lived in a village not very far away from where she lived, they meet sometimes for trade, other than that, there was not much occurrences together.
Beran replied in a gruffy voice, "Nay, there is urgent news I must tell you." His eyes flicked to the ground.
"What is it?"
"Orcs had been gathering around the borders. They tried to overcome the village not more than five leagues beyond where we stand, but they failed."
The young woman stared at him, not understanding the point he is trying to make. "I suppose this is good news, but why on my doorstep? Their failure surely is good for the people?"
Beran shifted his feet, "Good at a great cost."
"What do you mean?"
"I understand that your husband went riding to fight against these beasts...."
oh no
"I wish there was some other way I can tell this to you, but I am afraid that there is no other way."
Her saddened eyes gazed into Beran's own. She understood what he came to say. "Where is he?" She asked softly.
Taken off guard by her response, he replied rather hesitantly, "He um...he..."
"I know what is it that you have to say, please, just tell me where my husband is."
Beran swallowed hard, "He is not far out from here, there are men bringing him in."
At the same time, a group of men walked slowly towards them. They all carried a bed of some sort, made out of grass and hay, pulled together strong enough to hold a man. And a man is what it held. He lay upon his back, blood drenched his clothes, some his own, some not. His dark, brown hair indicates that he was still young, dry blood covered one of his eye, upon his chest lay a single sword. Still he was as a stone, with little droplets of rain splashing on him.
They lay the bed on the ground, one of the men walked towards where Beran and the woman stood.
"I am sorry for your loss," He said, "We did everything we can to salvage his life, but in the end, it was too late."
She did not speak. She could not take her eyes away from the image in front of her. The man whom she loved so is gone, now he lay stone cold in front of her. The smile he had when she said something amusing will no longer appear, his gentle voice soothing her when she was frightened will never be heard, and his children...
Her heart stopped.
He will never be able to see his children grow up, and they no longer had a father.
She walked and kneeled next to the body. Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer, begging the Valar to take her love to a safe place, allowing his soul to rest in peace. The other men were about to leave when she opened her eyes and beckoned them to stay.
"Please", she said, "Please help me" Blinking back tears, "Please help me bury my husband somewhere safe, I do not want my children to see what we are all seeing now."
Beran nodded and replied, "I understand." He stepped down from where he stood, leading the men to carry the body once more.
Not much longer later, she watched the men lower her husband to the ground. She scattered petals of flowers she had gather that morning, to bring to him when he returned. He has returned, but the way she had to give the flowers to him was never the way she had in her mind. Trying hard to hold back her tears, she scattered them all over his cold body.
"Be at peace." She whispered softly. The wind carried her voice, she felt it caressing her tired body, giving her comfort. Not being able to watch the men covering him up, she went up to Baren to give him her gratitude, and left back to her home.
Wearily she walked up the steps, letting her legs sink onto the floor, there she sat, watching the sun rise. The sky was clearing, the clouds had disappeared, the long wash of rain had cleared away all the shadows, a white light appeared on the horizon, spreading across the lands. Birds started to sing merrily, greeting the new dawn.
A single tear rolled down her cheeks as she took in what had happened through the night. The orcs had taken away the man whom she loved so much, only hours ago had she bid him farewell, to be careful on his journey, packing his food in his bags.
"You must eat to have energy!"
A man stood and laughed, "All I need it you, my love. All else is nothing."
She laughed, happy of what he said. "Yes, that is what you say now, but when you are out there in the dark, under the moon, with your pouches empty you will not be thinking of me, rather of what I will be cooking when you get home." She stuffed many things into his bag, sealing it, than handing it to him.
"Oh what will I do with out you?" He said, gathering her in his arms.
"Starve." She replied simply, enjoying his embrace and the touch of his arms against her skin. He bend down and planted a kiss on her lips, inhaling in her love.
"Go say good bye to the children." She said softly, returning his kiss. He nodded and walked quietly into their room.
The two children lay in their beds, with dreams so pleasant they both had smiles upon their faces. The boy slept near the girl, their hands nearly touched.
He kissed them both on their foreheads. They did not feel it.
"He is very protective of her."
The boy's fingers curled around the little girls' as they slept.
"Just the other day, he rescued her by leading a spider out of the house."
He smiled softly and gazed at his children as his wife came and stood by his side. "He will grow up and become a great man." She smiled also and said, "And she will become a beautiful maiden." He looked up and saw her smiling down at him, "Just like her mother.." he said softly. She bend down and kissed him slightly, "Just like his father."
Giving one more glance at his children, he said, "I should get going."
Grabbing his things he turned to his wife. "I cannot wait seeing you again."
She laughed again, "It is only for a day."
"A day would seem like a lifetime."
"Oh that tongue of yours! You better go before you are late!" She slapped his shoulders.
"Until later tonight."
She smiled and replied, "Until tonight."
He blew her a kiss and rode off on his horse.
And that was the last image she seen of him, riding off into the dawn, with other men gathered together. Now the dawn had once again graced the lands, but his presence is nowhere to be seen.
"Until tonight.." She whispered, "Why have you gone?"
...........why have you gone.........
A loud beep rang.
Alexia lazily banged her alarm clock off. With her head spinning she glanced at her clock. It read 7:00AM.
She groaned and let her head sink back into her pillow. Why has morning come so fast? Her dream was going so well. Vaguely she remembered something about a woman and her kids, did something happen to her husband?
She couldn't remember.
"Agh, this is so annoying..." She murmured, kicking off her covers, Nearly tripping over her books which scattered all over her floor, she went and opened her curtains. The sun poured in and blinded her watery eyes. It looked to be a great day.
"Great, a starting of another damn day."
Stacking her books up on her desk, she changed into her school clothes and picked up her tote. She picked up her keys and was about to leave the room when something caught her eye.
On her nightstand there lay a beautiful pendent. Memories flooded back into her brain, she remembered suddenly of her little incident last night, finding the necklace, falling from a tree. No wonder her backside was a bit sore, that solved the mystery.
But the pendant itself was a mystery, a mystery with no leads. She picked it up and studied it carefully, it was unlike anything she'd ever seen, it had a familiar feel to it, and yet, it seemed to be a stranger to her. Seeing that she was going to be late, she stuffed it into her pocket, ran down the stairs, grabbed her skateboard and bolted out the door.
Alexia let the wind wake her up from her sleep as she glided down the street. The morning was bright, but her mind was still clouded. After yesterday's episode with her father, she was not feeling very cheery. Feeling the bulge beneath her pocket she thought, "what am I going to do with you?"
Turning onto the street of her school, she leaped off her board and walked towards the gate. She mumbled a Good Morning as the guard said hi to her merrily, she dodged the early traffic of students crowded within the hallways to get to her locker. Passing by a classroom window, she caught a glimpse of her reflection.
Alexia was not very tall, she had fair skin, a bit tanned from the sun, her long, dark brown hair tied back in a pony tail, her brown eyes that once twinkled had lost its light, like a soul leaving its body. She quickly walked pass and went to her locker. Concentrating on her combination, she swung it open.
......Alexia.....
She heard her name. She turned to see who it was.
There was no one.
There were girls behind her fussing with their make up, each trying to get a glance of themselves with their compacts, applying mascara. Another group of guys stood on the other side, yelling and calling out atrocious things.
Alexia frowned, something is wrong with her ears.
"Alexia!"
She jumped. This time, she saw a guy waving at her as he walked.
"Oh, hey, Mike." She replied mono toned, turning back to her locker.
Confused, he asked," Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"
"More like the wrong place on earth." She mumbled, slamming her locker shut. "Oh C'mon, life can't be that bad."
She glared at him.
Sensing her antipathy towards him he quickly said, "Ok ok I'll shut up now."
Alexia sighed. "I didn't mean to be so touchy, I just didn't have a good sleep that's all."
"Studying for Economics I would guess? God, that class can kill me now!"
Alexia gasped. "Dammit! I forgot we had a test!"
Mike's eyebrows shot up. "You are kidding right? It is only one of THE important tests this semester!"
"Shit."
She started to run.
"Hey! Wait up!"
"I gotta go study fast!" She called out, "I will see you later!"
Leaving Mike behind, she dashed through the hallways and went straight to the library, good thing she left a bit early today, she still had time to go through her notes. Settling down, she flipped open her book. Out fell a slip of paper.
"Hmm.." She thought, "I don't remember having this." She looked at the paper, on it was scribbles of writings that she didn't understand. Noting it as trash, she crumbled it up and threw it into the trash can. Taking a breath, she started to read through her notes.
"Mama, where is Papa?"
"Papa has gone somewhere far away."
"Why has he gone?"
Choking back tears the young woman replied as gently as possible, "To protect us from harm, so you must give him your blessing, to let him know that you love him."
"I will remember." The young girl replied earnestly. "But why are we leaving?"
"Yea, why are we leaving? Can't we wait for Papa here?" The little boy joined in.
"No, my children, we must go somewhere safe, somewhere that we can be protected by." She gathered their things, many precious things had been sorted into bags and boxes. Memories stored away, for her children she must be strong. She did not have the heart to tell them the fate of their father, it was too soon, the pain was still too great. One day she will tell them, in her stories, tell them how brave their father had been.
"My Lady? Are these what you are to bring?" A tall man pointed to the boxes.
"Yes, yes they are." She looked up at him.
"Thank you."
The tall man glanced at her and said, "There is no need to give thanks, my Lady."
"Oh yes there is! You helped bring back my husband, if you were not there.....I do not believe I would ever had the chance to set my eyes on him again." With that thought, fresh pain stabbed her heart, she felt his arms embracing her in a friendly hug.
"I had wished you were not to have your last memory of his like that." He said, placing his hands upon her shoulder, looking into her eyes.
She smiled gratefully and replied, "You had done much, ever since of our arrival. You, your brother, and your father...." She looked away, seeing her children happily stuffing their things into the boxes, with no knowledge of the truth. "your father has done too much, and now this, I do not know how can I ever repay, knowing that I might not be able to..."
"As I have said, there is no need. Even if you were willing, my father would never have accepted it."
"Your father is a great person."
A sense of pride glowed upon his eyes. "Yes he is....amongst all people, he would understand your pain." His eyes shadowed, "he knows what you are going through, and with that thought, he does not wish for you to experience the pain he had to endure all those long years."
Silence fell upon them. Neither of them speaking, Suddenly, a loud bang rung them out of their thoughts.
"Oy! Be careful there, young ones!"
A grin appeared on the man's lips, "Must be the children causing him trouble."
A flash of horror crossed her strained face, "Oh no! The children must not trouble him! I will go call on them at once." "Oh please do not do so!" He quickly said, blocking her way. "I think my good brother there could use a good exercise with the young ones."
Another crash could be heard, a yelp rung in the air.
The tall man could not help but smirk when he heard the two children giggling merrily at whatever mischief they caused.
The young woman saw his face and started to chuckle as well, whenever her two children were with them, they were always happy.
"When are you going to tell them?"
She shook her head. "I do not know. When the time is right...when they can understand..."
He nodded in understanding. "I suppose it is time to go."
Leading her out the door, he stepped down the small stairs, but stopped abruptly as he took in the sight in front of him..
His brother lay sprawled on the ground, with leaves all over him, the two children laughed in delight as they tugged at him, bidding him to stand up and play with them. They had piled a large pile of leaves earlier, and had wanted him to leap in. He did not want to but being too close to the pile, the girl leaped into the pile causing the leaves to fly all over the place, and unaware of another jumping right behind him, the little boy leaped right onto his back, causing him to lose balance. The next thing he knew, leaves were all part of his body, and all part of the little children's play.
Then he heard loud laughter roaring across the grounds.
"Oy, Elladan! A little help would be nice you know." He shouted.
"Ha! Can you not see that my arms are full?" Quickly he lift up a box, carrying it to the wagon, loaded already with things.
Murmuring something about a heartless orc, he dragged himself to his feet, picking out the leaves that stuck to his tunic.
"You know, Elrohir, you ought to be more careful the next time, "Elladan said with caution, reigning the horses in place as he helped the laughing children onto the wagon. "one of these days, this vicious children could possibly bring you down!"
Elrohir scowled and called out to the young woman, "Now you would not let them do that now, would you, Gilraen?"
Gilraen smiled slyly and retorted, "Now the children are growing rather fast, I will have to say, soon, I would not be able to control them!"
Elladan laughed at the humor hinted in her voice. It was good to see her a bit relaxed, his father had cautioned him, making her laugh would be the best remedy on the road.
Soon they all gathered on the wagon, everything tightly secured, with Elladan at the reigns and Elrohir riding on a separate horse at their side, everything seemed to be prepared.
"You are sure nothing is left behind?" Elrohir asked.
"No, I have packed everything." Gilraen replied sadly, looking at the house she had spent for some time.
A hand was placed on her shoulders, Elladan said reassuringly, "Everything will be just fine."
She gave him a small smile and nodded.
"Mama, where are we going again?" Aelinia asked.
"To Rivendell, my sweet."
"Rivendell...."
Elrohir laughed, "Yes, my little lady, to Rivendell! Or to the elves it would be, Imladris, the house of Elrond."
Her eyes went wide. "Elrond?"
That had also caught the attention of the little boy, "The Elrond? As in Peredhil?"
Elladan gave Gilraen a glance, "You have taught them who he is?"
She answered, "Just stories, nothing more."
"Well, I am impressed." He said, eyeing the children. "And what, may I ask, Aragorn, does a Peredhil mean?"
"Half-Elven!" They both cried out gleefully.
"Father would find this quite interesting."
"Would he now?"
Elladan chuckled and said, "As the lore master and accomplice of many other things, I can already see him teaching them the many knowledge that he possesses, the skills of healing, and by the Valar who knows what else."
Gilraen said quietly, "Then he would make a great father."
"He would treat them as their own, Gilraen," he said softly, "You need not worry."
"I know..." she whispered, "I know..."
All right, I found the path of where this story would lead to. I hope you all like the story so far, I can feel its going to be a long story, please read and review!