I felt warm, something heavy was lying on top of me, a blanket. I heard voices from far off talking in hushed tones. I couldn't make out the words. I smelled burning wood and hoped that it was in a fire place. I hadn't opened my eyes yet, and didn't really want to. I wanted to stay like this forever; I was safe, and warm.
I chill gripped my body for no more than a second, and caused me to inhale sharply. This set my ribs on fire, and I cried out. Then a wave of pain swept over my whole body. I tried to get up, find out what was causing the pain but that only made it worse.
Hands were pushing me back down onto the bed, and someone was telling me to calm down. For a split second I remembered the hands that had grabbed me right after I had tried to kill my sister, and fear took over me. I tried to fight them off, I kept on repeating that I didn't mean to, but I was loosing.
Something connected with my left cheek. It surprised me so much I froze and opened my eyes. I was staring up into the faces of two elves and a Mew.
"It's all right you're safe. We won't hurt you. Just calm down and you'll be fine." one of the elves said.
"Also," the other elf said, "could you let go of my arm please?" I was biting down on his arm and I didn't even realize it. I let go, and laid back down.
"Who are you?" I said, my voice was thick with pain and exhaustion, "and where am I?"
"We'd like to know a few things too." the mew said. She had returned to her spot on the hearth rug. She had short black hair and her black fur was shiny and sleek. She was short and pretty skinny. She wore about as much clothes as I did, which wasn't very much.
"How about we alternate asking questions, we ask one then you ask one." one of the elves suggested.
"All right." I agreed. "Who are you?"
"I'm Legolas." the older looking elf answered.
"I'm Celelas." the younger elf said. The two elves looked like brothers.
"And I'm Analoren." the mew said.
Those last two names sounded way too familiar, where had I heard them before?
"Now, who are you?" Legolas asked.
"I'm Narwakwesse." I said.
"Where am I?" I asked since it was my turn again.
"You're in Greenwood in the Elven King's Halls." Celelas answered.
"Where are you from?" Analoren asked.
"I'm from the Grey Mountains and the Misty Mountains, where they meet, Mount Gundabad." that was a bit of a long explanation, I wasn't thinking straight.
"Why are you here then?" Legolas questioned.
"Uh..." I thought about this one for a moment, then decided not to answer. "Could I have something to eat?" I asked evasively, I was starving.
"Yes. Hey, you didn't answer my question!" Legolas retorted.
"I don't have to. You said that we'd take turns asking questions, you never said anything about answering them." I said cleverly.
"She's got a point" Analoren said.
"She has you there." Celelas said.
"Quiet, both of you." Legolas said, "One of you go get her something to eat, and the other one tell my father that the Gryphon has awoken, he'll probably want to talk to her."
"I'll get the food." Analoren said, jumping up.
"Guess that means I'll tell father." Celelas said. They both left, closing the door behind them.
"Why won't you tell me why you're here?" Legolas asked more gently this time.
"Because, like I said earlier, 'I don't have to.'" I responded firmly. "Who found me? I want to thank them."
"Analoren did." he answered.
"How long have I been out?" I squeezed in an extra question.
"About a week." he answered, "You still have a slight fever, and you're really not well enough to leave yet." At length he said casually, "You know you talk in your sleep."
Oh shit! What had I said?!
"You said a lot of strange things." he answered my thought, "You kept talking about a book, and saying that you didn't mean to do something. Is that something you didn't mean to do the reason you're here instead of back home at Mount Gundabad?"
"Yes." I said reluctantly, at least he didn't ask what it was I didn't mean to do.
Silence took over the room, and I started to drift off again when the door opened. I was hoping it was the food and not the King. I was right.
Analoren bounded in with a huge platter full of all kinds of food. "Wasn't sure what you'd like so I just asked for a sample of everything." she said as she put the platter down on the bedside table.
I stared at the platter for a few moments trying to deiced where to start. After I had decided I reached out with my right hand, because I am right handed, and felt a paralyzing pain in my shoulder. I could barley move it without wanting to scream.
"Oh, how could I forget." Analoren said, "You dislocated that shoulder. I bet it really hurts. Let me help you." She picked up the fork she had brought and, after picking out some heavily basted meat, held it in front of my mouth. I blushed, and ate it gingerly off the fork.
I felt so helpless. I'd never had to have anyone feed me like this since I was a baby. I had too be propped up with pillows since some of my ribs were cracked and I couldn't do it without almost passing out from the pain. I couldn't even get out of bed thanks to the Warg bite on my leg I couldn't put any weight on it, and I couldn't use crutches since both my arms were injured, a large piece of the Nazgul's blade had broken off and shattered inside my left shoulder and, as hard as the Elves tried they couldn't get all the pieces out some were just too small to even see. Also, when I tried to use my wings to support me, I found out that my left wing had a stress fracture from where I'd fallen on it when the Fell Beast landed on me.
Celelas came back with King Thranduil. Thranduil asked me about the same questions that everyone else already had, and then said that I could stay until I was healed and as long as I wanted to after that.
Since I could do nothing but stay in bed and heal, I heard all about what had happened during the week that I had spent asleep, what had happened before that, and what was going to happen in the future.
I heard all the latest news about what was going on in Middle Earth, and what all the relationships and alliances were about.
Legolas was the prince of the Elven King's Halls in Greenwood. Celelas was his brother, I guess that made him a prince too. Celelas had had an affair with a vampire named Berekad'rak from Rhun. The affair was over but they still saw each other every once and a while as friends. Analoren was a mew ambassador from a pride in Greenwood. She also knew a pack of Arfs that lived in Greenwood too, and she had set up an alliance between the three of them plus the Lothlorien Elves and the fairies that lived in Firien Wood. She had friends all over the place. A fox arf named Inari, a fairy named Sehavain, a half fairy half mew named Windia, and plenty more. Of course she knew everyone that Celelas knew too. She had another Elvish friend named Erikwataware from Lothlorien who was the daughter of Galadriel. There was an annual meeting of everyone that had an alliance with the Greenwood Elves and I got to meet everyone. We all became instant friends.
When I was well enough, Celelas and Analoren both suggested that I should take up weaponry. They said that I looked like I'd be a natural, and I was. I was a deadeye in archery, I was so strong that the only bow I could use and not break while stringing it was the Rabagrauk, a very ancient and powerful bow, not even Thranduil could string it. I was strong and unpredictable with swords and moved so swiftly and fluidly that Thranduil wanted to recruit me into his personal army. Most of the younger elves were either jealous of or really admired me. I could pick up any weapon and use it like a master. Of course I was also just as good at fighting without a weapon as I was with one.
Eventually I picked out the weapons I liked the most, my bow and arrows, two Elvish short swords, an Elvish dagger, and a whip, all of which I could use like an expert. Thranduil gave me the best of each, he said with the skill I possessed I deserved no less, and finally I decided to join his personal army, I guess to thank him for everything he'd done for me.
The years passed peacefully by. The Second Age ended the third began, and there were no more wars. Thranduil's armies were not needed; though, they stilled held together.
One day, during our annual meeting of alliances, our group of eight; Analoren, Erikwataware, Berekad'rak, Inari, Sehavain, Windia, Celelas, and I, received letters of invitation via eagle messenger to Arnor asking us if we would like to come and continue our training and study elemental magic.
Everyone agreed to go as soon as possible, and we also agreed that if we didn't go we probably be forced to by a superior so we figured we'd go willingly. Not that this was a bad thing, getting invited to go and study in Arnor was a great honor, but we didn't want to leave our homes and families. I hadn't left Greenwood since I got here and I was a little apprehensive about going so close to where I had been banished from.
As the Gryphon flies it's about four hundred miles to Arnor, but most of that flying is back in the direction of Mount Gundabad. Arnor is just a little further west of there, but not much.
No one knew that I had been banished from there. They had asked why I was here in Greenwood, but I never gave them a straight answer. Eventually they stopped asking and just let it be. So no one thought anything of it when we decided to take the most direct path there and go right by Mount Gundabad. Of course I didn't like this idea but I couldn't object lest I want a torrent of questions raised about why we shouldn't. I wouldn't be able to argue without revealing my secret and I really didn't feel like telling that to anyone just yet, maybe I never would.