I was overjoyed to see all your awesome reviews! You have no idea how fuzzy I am feeling right now. Thank you all SO MUCH for commenting! I will keep your suggestions (i.e., throw her into Orodruin) in mind!
This will actually be the last update for a bit since I'm going to be in Japan without computer access for a couple weeks. So I hope it meets your expectations. I promise, the instant I get back, I will keep on writing!
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The sun no longer seemed warm and inviting on the backs of the four beings making their way to the Last Homely House. Lianora, as the alleged daughter of their father had urged them to call her, was the only one who did not notice the lasting effect her words had had on the three brothers. Aragorn still was certain that this was merely a terrible dream that he would soon awaken from.
Elrond had another daughter? Impossible. Aragorn could not remember having seen his twin brothers so discomfited in his entire life as when they had heard the shocking revelation. Even Lianora had noticed something.
"I see he has not ever spoken of me," she had said, offering an apologetic smile. "I fear I have shocked you. But do not fear; he will recognize my mother in me. Everyone has told me that I look just like her."
In that instant, Elladan and Elrohir had both looked ready to murder her. Celebrian, Aragorn assumed, had not looked at all so… unnatural as this… creature, and implying that their father had been unfaithful to his beloved wife was more than they could take. Even though none of them believed for a second that this woman was their sister… Valar forbid. Aragorn shuddered at the thought.
Aragorn had quickly suggested they head home at once, in order to prevent the twins from becoming murderers. He was beginning to have a sneaking suspicion that he would regret his actions in the near future, though.
Finally, when it seemed as though he could bear it no longer, Elrohir nervously cleared his throat. "Ah… my lady?" he asked, hesitating almost imperceptibly before the word 'lady.'
"Oh, you must call me Lianora, as I told, you, for I feel that we shall be friends of the very closest sort!" she said gaily. "I am filled with such a happiness as you have never experienced upon realising that my journey is so soon to be over! But come, enough of my babble. What is it you wished to ask of me?" She smiled innocently at Elrohir.
Elrohir looked sick. The thought of being "friends of the very closest sort" with Lianora had that sort of effect on you.
"I was wondering if you could tell us how long ago you were born," he asked, attempting to keep his obvious emotions hidden. "I mean no offense," he added hastily, observing a look of confusion beginning to form on Lianora's face. "I simply wondered… I mean, Lord Elrond is an Elf, obviously, and I am not aware of the identity of your mother, so I was unsure whether you identified as Elven or Human." The other, unspoken reason for the questions floated in the brothers' heads: Exactly when do you claim our father fathered an illegitimate child?
"Oh, I understand perfectly. I do not take offense. My mother was a Man… Not a male, obviously, but a human, I mean." Lianora paused to give a tinkling laugh that echoed (ominously, in Aragorn's ears) across the valley. "I am merely seventeen years of age, but strong in will and mind." The brothers were unsure what reply to make to this, so they remained silent. Lianora faltered, then, in her telling of the story. "My past is not a pretty happening, though, and I have no wish to recall it to my mind by giving an account of it on such a day as this… The day when I have finally found my new home…" (Elladan, Elrohir, and Aragorn exchanged looks of slight terror.) "Forgive me, my friends," Lianora continued, tears filling her bright green eyes to the brim, "but I cannot relive such horrors as befell my mother and I yet. Not yet."
She produced a silken handkerchief from a sleeve and proceeded to daintily dab her eyes with it.
Aragorn was usually easily able to read his brother's faces, but in that moment they both appeared entirely emotionless. Aragorn fought to keep his own face impassive, but his mind was spinning with all of the different ideas he was trying to understand. This is insane, he thought as the party made their way closer and closer to the House of Elrond. This is all completely insane. I am having a nightmare. Ada would not be unfaithful to his wife. I know he loves her. This is ridiculous. We will find him and tell him of this insanity and he will turn into a dragon or something and I will wake up. This can't be real…
As much as he wished to believe that, though, the willowy Lianora walking alongside of the three brothers seemed to be far too real.
Lianora suddenly gave a little gasp. "Oh! That must be the house of my father! Many times I have dreamed of it, but never had I imagined such beauty as I now behold! A new life awaits me. I am certain of it!"
Elrohir made a tiny noise of exasperation. The Last Homely House had been visible for some time now, even to human eyes. Oblivious to the emotions of her companions, Lianora continued to rhapsodize about the new life she was certain she was about to lead.
It was only when they had actually entered their home and Lianora had fallen silent that Aragorn realised that she had been speaking very fluent Sindarin for the last several minutes. A sick feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. Glancing at his brothers, Aragorn began to feel afraid. Very afraid.
Before Lianora had the chance to resume her incessant chatter, Elladan spotted Glorfindel. And Glorfindel spotted them. The incredulous Elven lord did a double take, unable to believe his eyes as he first caught sight of the highly conspicuous maiden accompanying the brothers. Elladan quickly caught his eye, and Glorfindel made his way cautiously toward them.
"Glorfindel," Elladan began, indescribable expressions beginning to poke through his careful façade of calm. "Have you seen our… the Lord Elrond?"
Glorfindel arched one eyebrow, no doubt highly confused by this mixture of an eerily beautiful woman and a tense and somewhat secretive request for Elrond. "I believe that he is in the middle of some council with the leaders of one of the nearby human towns. It is of some importance, to the best of my knowledge, but if it is urgent… Perhaps this lady brings word of some outbreak of disease? Or some injury?" He searched for a reasonable explanation for the strange woman's presence.
Lianora answered for herself in the grey tongue the question had been phrased in, surprising Glorfindel. "I am no bearer of such ill news, my lord. The only news I carry with me is that of joy and celebration. My name is Tialendalianora, and I have traveled long and far to find the Lord Elrond, but I have no wish to disturb him. Please, do not trouble his council. Allow me to wash myself of the dust of the road and make myself presentable. Although," and here she faltered, "I fear that I possess no other dresses than that which I now wear. Bandits overtook me on the road and carried off all that I own in this world. I barely escaped with my life."
Elladan hastened to intercede before Lianora could get too far into her tale. "Perhaps that is best, my lady. We shall allow you to rest and revive yourself after your long journey, and in the meantime we can alert the Lord Elrond to your presence."
"You are so kind!" Lianora gushed. "I knew that Rivendell would be a place of magnificence, but even my vivid imagination could not possibly cover the kindness and hospitality I have already experienced in the short time since I have met you! I accept your generous offer."
Glorfindel was looking more incredulous (for an Elf) by the second. Still, he gallantly offered to escort Lianora to a room, judging from the expressions on Elladan, Elrohir, and Aragorn's faces that they could use some time alone with their father. Nonetheless, a parting glance as he departed the hall with the unsettling maiden on his arm let the brothers know that they would soon be subjected to a great many questions on the subject of their new acquisition. Getting an exact location from the astonished Celboril, who had been discreetly watching the entire exchange, they set off to extract their father from his meeting and make him answer several questions.
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Elrond smiled politely and concealed his boredom from the humans he was speaking with. Some fairly trivial matter, involving this town and the one next to it, was all they were presenting him with, and were it not for the fact that he fully realised how important it was for the Elves to maintain good relationships with the race of Men, he would have told them – politely, of course – to take this matter to a village council where it belonged. Still, he sincerely wished that they would just learn how to deal with their own petty issues.
"…and they won't listen to a thing we say on the matter," the speaker emphasized, as his companions nodded vigorously, "not a single thing. They insist that the land belongs to them when any fool can read our town records and see that Nandan's ancestors have held it for as long as there's been a town in either place."
Elrond resisted the urge to tap his fingers on the table. At least it isn't a gathering of upset Elves, he reminded himself. When trying to make a point, his own race had the tendency to be remarkably long-winded. Elrond would know. As Lord of Rivendell, it fell upon his shoulders to settle all disputes, Human or Elven, that came his way.
Thus, it came as a welcome interruption, at least at first, when the doors to the room were flung open and his three sons entered. Observing the looks on their faces, though, Elrond quickly decided that he would rather solve the little issue he was already dealing with. They looked, simply put, as though someone had just told them that Melkor himself was knocking on their doorstep.
"Ada," said Elladan, speaking in Sindarin as the men from the nearby village fell silent, thrown off by the intrusion. "We need to talk with you." Elrond started to offer some excuse involving the debate, but his eldest son cut him off. "Now."
Taking in the flat tone of voice his son was speaking in, Elrond went from bored to alarmed in a matter of seconds. Something was seriously wrong. He turned quickly to the men.
"Forgive me," he explained, "but… something… has come up. A matter of the utmost importance. I assure you, I will return to your problem at the earliest possible opportunity. Until then, feel free to walk through our gardens and refresh yourselves. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask." To his relief, the men accepted his excuse and Elrond left the room, following his sons up a flight of stairs to a private room on the second floor of the Last Homely House. They entered the new room and Elrohir shut the door behind them. Turning to face his sons, who were looking at him very solemnly, he hoped for the first time in his life that this was merely a prank they were about to pull on him. Because if this was actually a serious issue, the looks on their faces did not bode well…
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Aragorn took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. It's a lie, a foul trick, he repeated to himself over and over. It didn't help the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. It couldn't possibly be true… could it? Aragorn felt ashamed of himself for doubting his father, but Lianora had unnerved him so much that he couldn't think straight.
There was an awkward silence as Elrond waited for someone to explain what was going on. When no one volunteered anything, he spoke out.
"So. What has happened?" Elrond stared at each of his sons in turn. None would meet his eyes for very long. Aragorn could tell that his father was getting very worried, but he could not bring himself to broach this rather… delicate… subject.
Finally, Elladan spoke.
"While we were out enjoying the sun, we met a… maiden." He paused, as Elrond arched one eyebrow, giving the eldest twin one of his looks. Elladan bit his lip and hurried on. "She was dressed as though she was attending a ball, but she claimed to have been traveling for days upon end. She was beautiful, unnaturally so… her hair was long and blonde, her eyes were bright green, her skin was unnaturally pale... She was altogether… very creepy, and she said…" Elladan swallowed, glancing at his brothers for support. He received none. He continued, very quickly.
"Shesaidshewasyourdaughter."
The room was so quiet you could have heard a hobbit's footstep. Aragorn dared to look up at his foster father's face. And he was then treated to the rare, perhaps unique, sight of seeing the lord of Rivendell and bearer of Vilya, most powerful of the Three, look as though he had just been whacked on the back of the head with a board. Exceptionally hard. And suddenly, mysterious women aside, all felt right again in the world.
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I hope you liked the update! I can't wait to hear more from you… and from more of you, too. So review and help support that warm fuzzy feeling I have right now!