CHAPTER FOUR: The Ilissans

Legolas' now-flawless face created quite a stir among the others gathered around the fire. But Jamie had fallen asleep against her, and Ellie herself was so tired, that she took only a few bites out of a biscuit and lay down with the boy in her arms. She was too exhausted to talk to anyone just yet and although she knew she should be listening to what they were saying about her, she immediately went to sleep.

"She's a witch!" grunted the Dwarf Gimli.

Aragorn ignored him. "I didn't know there were any touch-healers left in Middle-Earth—not since the Ilissans."

"But didn't the Ilissans disappear centuries ago?" asked Boromir.

"Who are the Ilissans?" asked a curious hobbit.

"She can't possibly be Ilissan," concluded Aragorn.

"She's a witch, I tell you!" piped up Gimli.

"How would one know if she's Ilissan or not?" asked Legolas quietly.

"Who are the Ilissans?" this again from a curious hobbit.

Gandalf was thoughtful. "If I remember correctly, the Ilissans practiced self-mutilation. They pierced their ears, nose, and navel."

"I didn't notice any piercing on her face and ears," said Aragorn slowly.

"Her navel is pierced," Legolas replied softly.

"And how would you know that?" asked Boromir, with a cocked eyebrow.

"I saw it when we struggled in the forest."

"So she may be Ilissan then," concluded Gandalf, "and that would explain many things."

The nine companions fell silent and looked at the girl who slept so peacefully with her arms wrapped around the boy.

A curious hobbit finally broke the silence, "Uh...who are the Ilissans?"

And Gandalf told them what he knew.

"The Ilissans were a legendary family of female touch-healers. The line can be traced to the first millenium of the Third Age with the birth of Princess Ilissa of Gondor. She became renown as a gifted healer from the time she was a small child, but where she got her gift, no one knows, although I myself believe she must have been blessed by the Valar. Princess Ilissa gave birth to three daughters, all of them touch-healers like herself. These daughters and their female descendants (for no sons were ever been born to them) formed a secretive society and called themselves the Ilissans. They achieved great prominence in the communities of Man because of their exceptional healing skills. Indeed, the most gifted among them were known to be 'soul catchers'—capable of giving life back to those newly deceased by illness or injury."

The four hobbits gasped, and Gimli muttered, "Witches…"

Gandalf continued. "The Ilissans coupled with select men from the noblest families—and in time, it is suspected, with Elves as well—in order to strengthen their bloodline and breed daughters with other exceptional gifts and abilities. But they never married, and they gave their allegiance to each other rather than to any man or king or state. And that is what ultimately led to their downfall. By the time the Watchful Peace ended in the year 2460, men had grown envious and suspicious of the powers they possessed. For in addition to their healing skills, many Ilissan daughters were born with the gifts of prophecy and clairvoyance. They developed a special relationship with Nature and it was said that, like the Elves, they could communicate with animals and trees. They had keen senses of sight and hearing and were not affected by extreme cold. And, it was rumored that some Ilissans—those purported to be half-Elven—could choose immortal life." Legolas' eyes widened in surprise.

Gandalf paused and took a deep breath. Then he continued in a hushed voice, a distant look in his eyes:

"A few Ilissans were seduced by Sauron's promises and joined with the forces of Evil. This was just the excuse that men needed to plot against them. Although the majority of Ilissans stayed true to the Light, it was not enough to save them. For the World of Men united against the Ilissans and destroyed them. Hundreds were killed in the first few years and those who survived and their descendants were hunted down in the decades that followed. Most were burned alive at the stake until nothing remained of their bodies but a few bones and ashes. The last known Ilissan was discovered and put to death some three hundred years ago in Minas Tirith…" Gandalf's voice trailed away. He had personally known that ill-fated young woman, and had admired her strength of character and her skills, but his Order had not allowed him to intervene on her behalf.

The listeners lowered their eyes as they silently contemplated the grisly fate of the touch-healers. Aragorn and Boromir were especially moved, for it was their ancestors who had destroyed the Ilissans. Even Gimli seemed uncharacteristically subdued.

"But some of them must have survived for the girl to be Ilissan," Boromir finally said, nodding toward the sleeping Ellie.

"Indeed, that is what I am thinking," Gandalf admitted. "At least one or more must have survived in the remote areas of Middle-Earth. And, if the stories about them mating with elves are true, then it wouldn't surprise me if some of them also found refuge in the woodland realms."

Legolas shook his head, " Not in Mirkwood, that I know of." And then he mused, "But if there were half-Elven among them, some may have even journeyed to Valinor, without the Eldar in Middle-Earth knowing of their Ilissan ancestry."