"Argh!" Arien yelled, her hair whipping across her face as she slashed through the practice dummy with both of her knives. She jumped into the air, suspended as she flipped and threw one blade into the heart of another practice dummy and the other into the center of a straw target.
Arien finished her rotation in the air, landing on the grass without a sound. She sighed and stood, tucking her wind-blown hair behind her ears as she watched Legolas walk out of the trees and onto the practice field.
"That was impressive," he said with a grin, "but do you not think the flair could be toned down a little?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"The flip? How many seconds during a battle are you going to waste with an extra-long flip that will open you up to several attacks of opportunity?"
Arien scoffed and walked over to the target to pull her knife out. "I took out two other enemies because of the elongated time-span - it allowed me to focus on their locations and I still moved faster than a normal human, despite -"
"You had several blind spots open, it would have been easy for any enemy to cut you in half."
Arien sheathed her knives and tossed them into her pack sitting next to the base of the target.
"Did you come out here to scrutinize me, or did you have another reason?" She asked. For the past few days Arien could not stop thinking about how she feared his judgment, and every kind thing he did for her cemented the idea that he was disappointed in her decision to stay in Caras Galadhon.
"This is the first time you have ventured outside your tâlan since Rian left. I wanted to make sure you were alright." He looked over her shoulder at the slashed practice dummy. "And I can see you are more than alright."
"I am fine." She huffed, picking up her pack and walking past Legolas. He spun and joined her on the path out of the field.
"It is okay to not be -"
"Look," she said as she stopped walking, "I appreciate your care. It was considerate of you to check in on me the past few days, and I know it was you who sent the reading material from the library - thank you." She shifted her weight from one foot to another, trying to figure out how to communicate the cacophony of emotions she felt. "It does not help, though, when I feel like you are looking at me like a lost child who needs healing before she can venture forth into the unknown once more. I made a choice to stay behind, and I stick by it - it is better for everyone."
Arien's heart raced as she tried to read Legolas's reaction.
"Please forgive me for not making my intentions more clear." He cleared his throat awkwardly, standing rigid in the pathway. "I have not judged your decision one way or another since you explained it to me. My actions have simply been that of care - I wanted you to not feel alone."
"Oh. That is... very kind of you," Arien said, unsure of what to say.
She did not consider herself the ultimate judge of character, but it was not often she found her assumptions to be wrong. However, she had not suspected such an innocent reply from Legolas. Had he really not judged her for staying behind? She certainly was struggling with judging herself. Facing Hanna had felt impossible when they returned from fighting Thuringwethil, but if something went wrong as the others traveled to the next Silmaril…
"Would you like to take a walk?" Legolas asked unexpectedly. "I have something I think you should see."
Arien nodded and walked beside him on the path. She spoke little, choosing to listen to his amusing story about the Hobbits he traveled with. He had brought several moments of welcome distraction over the past few days and this story, along with whatever he was taking her to see, was no different.
"It turned out to be one of the best meals I have eaten - in the woods, that is." Legolas stopped in front of a staircase wrapping around the base of one of the giant Mallorn trees. "Here we are, though it is up a way I am afraid."
"I do not mind," Arien responded quietly. She still had her pack with her weapons strapped to her back, but it wasn't heavy, and she knew if she went back to her tâlan, she would probably stay there.
The two of them climbed the narrow staircase to the top level of the tree, where there was a small enclosure lined with books and aged tapestries. The tapestries intrigued Arien - Elven tapestries were often well taken care of, but these looked strangely aged.
"They are from Gondolin, taken by refugees as they fled their burning city," Legolas said as he watched her approach the largest one.
Arien held her breath as she looked at the delicate colors that wove together to depict Gondolin at its best. Golden hues, muted by age, built up the walls of the great city before its fall. Reverence filled Arien's heart as she thought of those who gave their lives for their city in the fight against Melkor. Besieged by thousands of orcs, and a number of Balrogs, few had escaped the burning city. With them they took only what was essential. These tapestries represented the history most important to their people, the craftsmanship they valued, and Arien felt honored to behold their magnificence. Elrond had a few momentos from the fallen city as well, though nothing as grand as these.
Legolas gestured to a small tapestry in the corner as he walked over to it. "I thought this one might be particularly interesting for you to look at."
Its edges were frayed, but the threads were otherwise intact. The image depicted was of the night sky over a crystal mountain, each star embroidered in silver that had not dimmed over time like the other threads. On the mountain top stood a couple holding hands, their gaze focused on the stars. Arien knew it was Manwë and Varda. Manwë stood tall, with long white hair and blue robes, and Varda was crowned in light, her dark hair sparkling like the night sky.
"Why would the Gondolins have saved this?" Arien asked in awe, coming to stand by Legolas.
He looked scandalized. "Manwë and Varda are held in esteem by all Elven races… you do not think they would want to preserve this?"
"I - yes, but what about family histories and -" Arien stumbled over her response, and Legolas tried to keep a straight face, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
"I actually thought the same thing," he said, "But I did some reading and discovered this tapestry was carried out of Gondolin by Eärendil. It was he that came to Valinor to -"
"Appeal to Manwë and Varda to help in the fight against Melkor! How did you discover this was Eärendil's?"
"The library has an index of all the artifacts they have collected." He shrugged casually and turned to grab a book sitting on the shelf behind him.
Arien swallowed hard. "You know your way around a library."
"They are a quiet place to escape the world."
If Arien had blacked out she wouldn't have been surprised, but a minute passed and she was still standing staring at Legolas in the small library.
"Thank you for showing me this," she said at last, hoping to the Valar he had not noticed.
"Of course, but it is just the beginning."
He sat at the single table tucked into the corner of the room, motioning for Arien to join him. She sat quickly, taking the book he held and turning it over in her hands. It was very old, bound with faded black leather, but there were no markings on the outside.
"That is a book with information I am sure you have never read before." Legolas's face was grave.
Arien opened it and there, written in Adûnaic, was the sentence:
This is the personal history of Tárisse, daughter of Eöl, wife of Morgoth
Wife of Morgoth? Arien's jaw dropped and she had to stop herself from throwing the book across the room.
"Why would someone write a personal history for someone who does not exist? Melkor never had a wife."
Legolas shook his head. "I was just as shocked as you. Tárisse existed, but this is the only proof that she did. All records of her were removed from libraries at the end of the first age."
"Then how did you find this one?" Arien asked, not bothering to look up as she skimmed the pages. "And why did you not show this to me the minute we met in Caras Galadhon?"
"Mithrandir gave it to me. I wanted to wait until Rian was gone."
Arien's head snapped up, but Legolas pushed forward with his narrative.
"After our time together in Rivendell, I still had so many questions about you and your kin. There are no public records of your arrival on Middle Earth in Rivendell, but I found myself discussing it with Gandalf from time to time as we traveled with the Fellowship. He told me about some research he had been doing, and on our last night in Moria, he gave me this book and told me it held answers to questions he had been searching for. I believe he suspected his time on Middle Earth was ending, and the information in this book is critical to you and your mission. He told me he found it in the ruins of a city where Moriquendi lived just past the Blue Mountains."
"Moriquendi? Dark Elves?"
"Tárisse, who wrote it, was one of the Moriquendi. The inscription in the book says she is the daughter of Eöl, did you not know he was a Dark Elf? He was the one who started the destruction of Gondolin."
"I knew he was a Dark Elf," Arien said, blushing. "There has simply been a lot of information presented to me in a short amount of time."
"Of course, I was moving very fast through the information. It took me a while before I made that connection anyway." There was not a hint of sarcasm in Legolas's voice.
"Did Gandalf tell you what questions were answered in this book?"
Legolas locked eyes with Arien, and she felt her heart start to race.
"It tells the truth about Rian's parentage."
Arien was not sure how long she spent squinting at the book she held. The truth about Rian's parentage? Was Rian not a child of the Valar? Eventually she opened the book and started reading. Legolas patted her arm and said something about going to find her some food before standing to leave.
The personal history started off as many do, telling the reader about Tárisse's parents, Eöl and Aredhel. Eöl was a Dark Elf who enchanted Aredhel when he noticed her light and beauty, bringing her to his home in the woods of Nan Elmoth, where she eventually fell in love with him. They had a son, Maeglin, who would later betray Gondolin to Melkor. When Turgon, ruler of Gondolin, killed Eöl, he tried to kill Maeglin. Aredhel sacrificed herself for her son, getting hit by Turgon's poison dart. She gave birth to Tárisse as she died, leaving Tárisse parentless.
Tárisse was an outcast among the Gondolin fugitives and found a more permanent home among the Moriquendi in the Blue Mountains. Her hatred for Turgon and Elves of the Light grew, and after a time, she vanished from their realm and began to search in the north for one who could help avenge her family.
And so Melkor found her, wandering among the mountains surrounding Angband. Tárisse wrote:
It was a myth that Morgoth's face had been marred by Thorondor, the great Eagle King. I now can confirm this is not a myth.
I believe he will help me, because just as his scars show Morgoth is not physically invincible, his love for me demonstrates that even the Valar have emotional weakness.
After this entry the dates jumped forward several years, and Arien hardly noticed Legolas draping a blanket around her shoulders and insisting she eat some of the food he brought.
Love has grown between Melkor and myself through these past years of companionship. He is not the terrible figure the Elves believe he is, and I wish never to be parted from him. The Valar poisoned the minds of the Elves since they realized Melkor had more power than they, and now we have heard Eärendil has rallied them to action. The Valar plan to travel to Middle Earth and lock Melkor in the Void. But we have made a plan. I will have to be patient, but I know it will be worth it.
There was no explanation of their plan, but the next several pages were filled with mourning and longing. Melkor had been successfully sealed in the Void. Tárisse spoke of it as temporary, and Arien did not understand. Had Melkor been planning how to escape the Void all along?
But Arien's question was answered in a way she never expected.
My love has finally visited me. Melkor has located the first of many doors that link the Void and Middle Earth. He cannot stay for long, as his presence may be detected by Ulmo, who still roams many rivers and valleys, but I shall search for somewhere safe - somewhere away from the bodies of water where we may live out our lives till the Valar see the wrong they have done.
And Tárisse held true to her promise. She and Melkor would meet and spend a few days together, and then she would spend months, sometimes years traveling over Middle Earth in search of a place not only away from water, but near a door to the Void. She found it near the end of the second age, and Tárisse waited for Melkor to come.
Arien was shocked when she read the date of the last entry. It was only twenty-five years before the current day. Was Tárisse still alive?
The Valar have found our hiding place - I am sure of it. I leave this account now in the ruins of my ancestors hoping I can return to it, but I have to protect my daughter. My love has returned to the Void until he feels confident in the next steps of our plan, but if I lose Almarë, I will never forgive myself.
Underneath this last paragraph was a hasty scrawl with three words:
Rian is Almarë