The Undecided of Earendil
By- Larien
Chapter 1
The sun began to rise above the high slopes of Rivendell. Off in the distance the waterfalls, constant and gentle, sprayed mist over the high treetops. Rainbows glimmered in their early shower, casting rainbow hues on the birds that flew too close. The elves in their dwellings were quiet and serene; a trait even though common to elves, was now a result of waking. The bridges passing over the small creaks were mostly barren, and they dripped early dew onto the flowers below. The gestures of the morning were unobtrusive and pensive. Yet each action was deliberate and just as beautiful as the tall statues who stared blankly at the complied buildings of Imladris.
In this early bliss only one maiden passed outdoors, quietly humming to herself. Her hair shimmered like gold in the wind and her pale skin gave her blue eyes a rather piercing glare; a glare which was not often softened to the inhabitants of Middle Earth. In her slender hands she held a book which she scanned, tossing each page aside as though she had read it all. It was an old book and the girl's mind raced as she looked over each page, reminding herself of all the little details she was going to need to know later. She rounded a corner and slowed her pace, brushing aside a lock of hair and inhaling sharply. Ahead of her was her close friend, Aragorn, laying in an awkward position on a bench under the great willow. The tree provided adequate shelter during the night but now that the sun rose the small leaves did little to conceal the glare from his tight face.
She approached him delicately and her book fell to her side, suddenly forgotten. Despite being sound asleep, his hand still brushed the hilt of his sword. In typical ranger fashion, Aragorn was not one to ever be caught off-guard. As she drew nearer, a thought occurred to her when she spied the low hanging branches of the willow. The leaves gave a soft rustle to acknowledge her presence and she grinned.
"Sshh," She prodded as she ran a light hand over the trunk and tossed her book to the side. It landed on the dewy grass with a barely audible thump! And the ranger gave a snort.
Using the trunk as a brace, the maiden grabbed ahold of the nearest branch and effortlessly swung her torso up and over it until she was firmly planted atop it. Then with careful precision she stood and stepped lightly across a serious of branches until she stood on one that hung directly over the rangers' bench. She took a few precarious steps out on the branch, her arms outstretched and her toes digging into the wood as she balanced. She studied Aragorn's eyes, making sure that he was not already awake, and then with a spring of her knees she pushed down on the branch. It bobbled up and down, throwing the dew drops from the leaves onto Aragorn's face. The more she moved, the more it rained and Aragorn was soon squirming and grunting under the attack.
She giggled and then bounced harder, extending her arms to keep her balance and enjoying his discomfort. More water pelted Aragorn's face until he jumped up in frustration, half asleep and cursing under his breath. As he wiped the water away from his eyes, a laugh escaped the maiden who then teetered on the branch and had to grab the trunk to keep from falling.
"Caniel!" Aragorn called out, squinting in the early morning light. "Le carnen?" (Are you finished?)
"Im ú-garnen." Caniel smiled as she watched him fumble about in his attempt to locate her. (I am not finished.)
Just as he was stepping back to get a better look at his whereabouts, the ranger clumsily tripped over the bench he had been laying on only a moment ago causing a whole new spout of laughter to pour out of Caniel. Aragorn heaved a defeated sigh and ran his fingers through his tangled hair. He watched with little surprise as Caniel dropped from the frantic tree and landed in a graceful crouch next to him. Her smile was contagious and her eyes twinkled with the youthful fire of a thousand stars. Aragorn could no longer suppress his smile and he chuckled softly, a sound warm and most welcomed to Caniel's ears.
"The sun rises early this morning," Aragorn said quietly. "And like the morning birds, already you flitter about the grounds, twittering as you go."
Caniel helped Aragorn to his feet and brushed the grass off his shoulder. "I do not twitter but sing! It is a wonderful new day and behold! The fates brought me across the strangest man who lay asleep on a bench in the midst of an elf haven."
Aragorn's eyebrows rose with sarcasm. "Naturally the only thing to do then, is to awaken him."
"And determine why he is sleeping where he is and if he is friend or foe," Caniel finished, sitting down on the bench and looking up at him innocently.
"Ah ha," Aragorn sat down next to her, craning his next to scan the horizon. "And you discovered that this man who lay asleep was awaiting the arrival of an old friend who is said to be arriving sometime today. It has been a long while since the two friends have talked and the man was overly anxious." With a moan, Aragorn arched his back in discomfort. "An anxiousness that brought with it many aches and pains!"
They both shared a quiet laugh.
"Who is this friend that you speak of?" Caniel asked after a moment.
"His name is Legolas of the Mirkwood Realm. Son of King Thranduil, and loyal companion to the house of Elrond."
"Is that so? Then why I have I not seen him here before?"
"Legolas is a traveler. He does not take to the idea of staying put for very long. He wants to explore, and fight, and see all off Middle Earth…"
Caniel turned abruptly to face Aragorn. "He is a fighter?"
Aragorn nodded. "I knew you would be pleased to hear that. Yes, Legolas is an excellent fighter, one of the best around I imagine. His skills as an archer exceed that of anyone I have ever come across, and his blades equally dangerous."
"When he comes, I would much like to meet this Legolas of Mirkwood."
"To verify my word?"
"To experience it."
Aragorn smiled and shook his head. "No man would ever want you as an enemy, Caniel."
"I mean not to brag." Caniel corrected.
"You do not. If there was anyone who could present a worthy challenge to Legolas, it would be you," Aragorn looked at her once more. "This man you came across; friend or foe? You never told me."
Caniel sighed and stood to fetch her book from the grass. "I see there is no escaping it. Well then…" She picked up the book and walked past Aragorn who watched her slyly. "I would like to presume friend, but the arrogance of a mad cradling his sword in his sleep pushes me towards enemy. So neutral I remain. Perhaps another encounter of him doing something absurd will sway my decision."
"Only a desperate man would put himself into such a situation again. Not with the likes of you lurking around these halls. I guess then we'll never know."
"Namárië!" Caniel called over her shoulder as she sauntered away. She proceeded down the long corridors which she found to be slightly more active as more elves began opening their doors and windows and filed out to greet one another as the day began.
Spotting the stairwell that lead up to the library, Caniel quickened her step and took the steps by two. When she got to the top she was dismayed to find the library empty. Loose papers cluttered the desk and she set her book down on the chair as she made her way further in. A bird chirped from a rafter above and the sun supplied just enough light to cast eerie shadows on the walls. For reasons unexplained, Caniel felt her stomach churn. The library was familiar to her; she often spent her afternoons here pouring over the thousands of books. Yet now, a chill was sent crawling up her spine. The shadows were unfamiliar, the books of no comfort. The chairs sat restlessly, creating caverns of black behind them. The wind howled mournfully in her ear, and she whirled around at the sound of a creak behind her. There was nothing there.
It was so quiet; a quiet that she should've been comfortable with, but wasn't. Something was out of place, she thought. Why wasn't there anyone here? As if to answer her thoughts, a soft footstep resounded behind her. She froze in her spot, her limbs numb, paralyzing her in her spot. The footstep was followed by another, then another, until she could hear the person breathing right behind her. They reached out a hand and laid it gently on her shoulder. She inhaled and held it, every instinct screaming at her to run, but she was stuck.
Then the man spoke. "Caniel?"