Disclaimer: WHATEVER! DON'T OWN ANYTHING!
Note: I'm so touched! All the nice reviews! I'll reply you again, of course...but FIRST...
IMPORTANT NOTE: Can anyone think of a good first name for a hobbit? Some characteristics too, if you don't mind. I'm putting an OC of a hobbit (No romance for him though. O.O) into the story later and I have everything worked out except his name. I admit I stole Alhana's name from a random Fantasy book. (Shame on me!) But her character and looks are original.
Tpfan33- Thanks! Sam leaves later? When? Where?
D.K. Blackwater – Yes, you have brainwashed me. But I'm afraid I can't make it all mushy like you asked...(hangs head) there won't be much mushiness in this story. Maybe in the sequel though. In fact, the title refers more to Legolas' attempt, not what he does. Sadly.
Raea – Well, we chatted on msn and email. Use the review thing! I BEG YOU!
By the way, I know that Aragorn was spelt wrongly. There will probably a few typos of that too, because my stupid auto correct won't let me type his name properly. I'll try to fix it soon.
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To Melt A Heart of Ice
"We need you to follow Alhana and confirm if she is indeed up to something," said Gandalf gravely.
Legolas was not surprised. "I will," he said dully. It did not exactly strike him as an extremely difficult mission.
Gandalf smiled, then his expression went grim again. "It may not be as easy as you think. Remember this: The Exiles are nothing like elves. They are more cunning...and sometime more dangerous." With that, he swept out of the room.
Legolas just remained staring after him. Then he noticed Arwen again looking into the distance with those sad, wistful eyes. "Do you and Alhana...know each other?" he asked softly.
"No. Yes," Arwen murmured, "Not exactly."
Legolas blinked. "What do you mean?"
Arwen sighed.
"Many years ago, when I was a young girl...people felt an intense hatred against the Exiles, even worse than now. Then the people of Gondor discovered that the Exiles lived a mere few miles away from Mordor, and their distrust deepened. They and a handful of elves from Rivendell surrounded their village and set fire to their simple wooden houses. I was there," Arwen paused.
Legolas waited. She had yet to explain how she had met Alhana.
Arwen continued. "I did not fully understand what was happening, but I thought that those elves were evil, or traitors. But then I heard a young girl calling for help from one of the burning houses. She was about three years younger than me. 'How could a girl this young be evil?' I asked myself. I could not help saving her. She gazed at me once and whispered her name, but then ran with the escaping Exiles to the Iron Mountains and never looked back." Arwen finished.
"Then she is in your debt," Legolas realized.
Arwen shook her head. "No. The inhabitants of Gondor and the many of the elves, my people, gave her those burn scars on her body. My people caused her parents to die. You could say that saving her life was...compensation," Arwen said bitterly.
Legolas finally understood why Alhana's face was so cold and impassive. He could not imagine suffering so much at such a young age. Would I be able to survive, he thought, if I had lost all that is dearest to me when I was a mere child? Perhaps. But all the terrors of the world could not compare to that. I would have seen worse, felt a greater pain. I would not be able to cry.
"Sometimes..." Arwen's voice jerked Legolas from his thoughts. "Sometimes I can still hear her people screaming." Arwen whispered.
A single tear dripped down her cheek.
----------
Alhana rode in silence towards the setting sun. Seeing Arwen, her 'savior', had awakened an old pain in her heart. She could remember the devastation of the fire clearly; she could almost hear the flames crackling once more. She sighed. Put the past behind you, she told sternly, and focus on your task. The time in drawing near.
She went over every word spoken at the meeting carefully. So they thought they knew-or at least suspected- what she was up to. Her lip curled. They had no idea...
"But what about the wizard, Gandalf?" she muttered to herself, "His knowledge is no meager thing. If anything went wrong, he would be the first to realize...no. He will not be around to realize anything."
Then she heard a sound. It was a rustling of leaves. Normally, she wouldn't have heeded such a common thing, but there was hardly any wind at all. It could be a bird fluttering to its nest, but perhaps it was not. Gandalf! She thought, he might have sent a spy.
She snorted derisively. So Gandalf thought he could outwit her? No, he had made things much easier. Perhaps she would not need to risk travelling to Rivendell after all.
But she must act ignorant. She cannot let the possible spy, probably the elf; know that she suspected she was followed.
Not yet.
----------
"It is a pleasure to see you again, old friend," Aragorn said grumpily.
"And a pleasure to see you, though my return was not intended," Gandalf replied with amusement. "But I believe you were not happy to see Alhana of the Exiles?"
Aragorn spun around. "I don't think you have considered the safety of Gondor," he snarled through gritted teeth, "Don't you realize that due to...past happenings, the Exiles would attack Gondor if they realized their true power? Then they would conquer Rivendell, probably taking out Rohan on the way-"
"Calm down, my friend," Gandalf raised his voice. Aragorn ceased his ranting and silenced unwillingly. "Do not think I have not considered those probabilities," Gandalf said softly. "I am just as worried for Gondor's safety as you are. But I'm afraid that Alhana has already learned of her power."
"Then we are doomed." Aragorn said dejectedly.
"No, we are not. I have faith in Legolas," Gandalf smiled.
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Long enough? Still short to me though. I know one of you said it would spoil the whole thing if the Exiles were more powerful than Gandalf, Elrond, etc, so I put them on about the same level, except they don't know it. Heh heh...can you imagine a race of Gandalfs running around conquering the world? No wonder Aragorn's worried.
So now you know Arwen's and Alhana's relationship. Sad, isn't it? And poor Kellarin is dead too.
REVIEW! AND DON'T FORGET THE HOBBIT!
Note: I'm so touched! All the nice reviews! I'll reply you again, of course...but FIRST...
IMPORTANT NOTE: Can anyone think of a good first name for a hobbit? Some characteristics too, if you don't mind. I'm putting an OC of a hobbit (No romance for him though. O.O) into the story later and I have everything worked out except his name. I admit I stole Alhana's name from a random Fantasy book. (Shame on me!) But her character and looks are original.
Tpfan33- Thanks! Sam leaves later? When? Where?
D.K. Blackwater – Yes, you have brainwashed me. But I'm afraid I can't make it all mushy like you asked...(hangs head) there won't be much mushiness in this story. Maybe in the sequel though. In fact, the title refers more to Legolas' attempt, not what he does. Sadly.
Raea – Well, we chatted on msn and email. Use the review thing! I BEG YOU!
By the way, I know that Aragorn was spelt wrongly. There will probably a few typos of that too, because my stupid auto correct won't let me type his name properly. I'll try to fix it soon.
----------
To Melt A Heart of Ice
"We need you to follow Alhana and confirm if she is indeed up to something," said Gandalf gravely.
Legolas was not surprised. "I will," he said dully. It did not exactly strike him as an extremely difficult mission.
Gandalf smiled, then his expression went grim again. "It may not be as easy as you think. Remember this: The Exiles are nothing like elves. They are more cunning...and sometime more dangerous." With that, he swept out of the room.
Legolas just remained staring after him. Then he noticed Arwen again looking into the distance with those sad, wistful eyes. "Do you and Alhana...know each other?" he asked softly.
"No. Yes," Arwen murmured, "Not exactly."
Legolas blinked. "What do you mean?"
Arwen sighed.
"Many years ago, when I was a young girl...people felt an intense hatred against the Exiles, even worse than now. Then the people of Gondor discovered that the Exiles lived a mere few miles away from Mordor, and their distrust deepened. They and a handful of elves from Rivendell surrounded their village and set fire to their simple wooden houses. I was there," Arwen paused.
Legolas waited. She had yet to explain how she had met Alhana.
Arwen continued. "I did not fully understand what was happening, but I thought that those elves were evil, or traitors. But then I heard a young girl calling for help from one of the burning houses. She was about three years younger than me. 'How could a girl this young be evil?' I asked myself. I could not help saving her. She gazed at me once and whispered her name, but then ran with the escaping Exiles to the Iron Mountains and never looked back." Arwen finished.
"Then she is in your debt," Legolas realized.
Arwen shook her head. "No. The inhabitants of Gondor and the many of the elves, my people, gave her those burn scars on her body. My people caused her parents to die. You could say that saving her life was...compensation," Arwen said bitterly.
Legolas finally understood why Alhana's face was so cold and impassive. He could not imagine suffering so much at such a young age. Would I be able to survive, he thought, if I had lost all that is dearest to me when I was a mere child? Perhaps. But all the terrors of the world could not compare to that. I would have seen worse, felt a greater pain. I would not be able to cry.
"Sometimes..." Arwen's voice jerked Legolas from his thoughts. "Sometimes I can still hear her people screaming." Arwen whispered.
A single tear dripped down her cheek.
----------
Alhana rode in silence towards the setting sun. Seeing Arwen, her 'savior', had awakened an old pain in her heart. She could remember the devastation of the fire clearly; she could almost hear the flames crackling once more. She sighed. Put the past behind you, she told sternly, and focus on your task. The time in drawing near.
She went over every word spoken at the meeting carefully. So they thought they knew-or at least suspected- what she was up to. Her lip curled. They had no idea...
"But what about the wizard, Gandalf?" she muttered to herself, "His knowledge is no meager thing. If anything went wrong, he would be the first to realize...no. He will not be around to realize anything."
Then she heard a sound. It was a rustling of leaves. Normally, she wouldn't have heeded such a common thing, but there was hardly any wind at all. It could be a bird fluttering to its nest, but perhaps it was not. Gandalf! She thought, he might have sent a spy.
She snorted derisively. So Gandalf thought he could outwit her? No, he had made things much easier. Perhaps she would not need to risk travelling to Rivendell after all.
But she must act ignorant. She cannot let the possible spy, probably the elf; know that she suspected she was followed.
Not yet.
----------
"It is a pleasure to see you again, old friend," Aragorn said grumpily.
"And a pleasure to see you, though my return was not intended," Gandalf replied with amusement. "But I believe you were not happy to see Alhana of the Exiles?"
Aragorn spun around. "I don't think you have considered the safety of Gondor," he snarled through gritted teeth, "Don't you realize that due to...past happenings, the Exiles would attack Gondor if they realized their true power? Then they would conquer Rivendell, probably taking out Rohan on the way-"
"Calm down, my friend," Gandalf raised his voice. Aragorn ceased his ranting and silenced unwillingly. "Do not think I have not considered those probabilities," Gandalf said softly. "I am just as worried for Gondor's safety as you are. But I'm afraid that Alhana has already learned of her power."
"Then we are doomed." Aragorn said dejectedly.
"No, we are not. I have faith in Legolas," Gandalf smiled.
----------
Long enough? Still short to me though. I know one of you said it would spoil the whole thing if the Exiles were more powerful than Gandalf, Elrond, etc, so I put them on about the same level, except they don't know it. Heh heh...can you imagine a race of Gandalfs running around conquering the world? No wonder Aragorn's worried.
So now you know Arwen's and Alhana's relationship. Sad, isn't it? And poor Kellarin is dead too.
REVIEW! AND DON'T FORGET THE HOBBIT!