The doom of men is near. All that they took for granted will be lost. And so much life will be spent. All of this because of the naivety of men. They did not think of how important alliances with other kingdoms and other beings could be. They did not look towards the future, only towards their own personal joy at the time.

All of this is changing as we stand with the men and women of Rohan preparing for battle. The people of Gondor will have aid. The men of Rohan will make sure of it.

Two mysterious figures walk towards the King's tent. They are both wearing black cloaks with hoods so I can not tell of their appearances. One has the figure of a man, the other a female. I believe them to be elves, simply by their clothing. Their clothes seem to be very expensive silk, worn only be elvish royalty. It must be Lord Elrond and presumably his daughter, Arwen. But the female is not of the same stature as Arwen, she is slightly shorter.

She turns slightly and I see a glimpse of her face. Her hair is different to most elves I have seen. A beautiful mauve colour with thick waves. Her eyes clash with her hair, a light purple/grey. Her eyes widen when she sees me and she quickly turns away, making sure her hood is secure over her face. She seems familiar, yet different. I feel as if I have meet her before, but I can not remember where or when. My memory fails me. How can I not remember her if she is royalty? Unless she has been sheltered from the view of the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Inside the tent~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

King Théoden of Rohan stands, talking with my uncle who is seated facing away from the entrance with his hood pulled over his face I sit on one of the King's seats to the left of the door, desperately hoping that Aragorn will accept what my uncle offers and trying to figure out whether Legolas recognised me or not. I dearly hope he did not.

The curtain-like door opens and Aragorn enters the tent. Not noticing me, thankfully, he looks between Théoden and Elrond.

'I take my leave' Théoden says nervously, before walking out of the tent.

Elrond stands and faces Aragorn and takes of his hood. Aragorn politely bows his head in acknowledgement of him. 'My Lord Elrond' he says.

'I come on behalf of one whom I love,' Elrond states, 'Arwen is dying. She will not long survive the evil that now spreads from Mordor. The light of the Evenstar is failing. As Sauron's power grows, her strength wanes. Arwen's life is now tied to the fate of the Ring. The Shadow is upon us, Aragorn. The end has come.'

'It will not be out end, but his.' Aragorn says courageously.

'You ride to war, but not to victory. Sauron's armies march on Minas Tirith, this you know. But in secret he sends another force which will attack from the river. A fleet of Corsairs ships sails from the south. They'll be in the city in two days. You're outnumbered, Aragorn. You need more men.'

'There are none.'

'There are those who dwell in the mountain.' Elrond says. A gust of wind enters the tent as I hear an eerie breathing.

'Murderers, traitors. You would call upon them to fight? They believe in nothing! They answer to no one!' Aragorn cries.

'They will answer to the King of Gondor!' Elrond takes the sword our from his robes. 'Andúril, the Flame of the West, forged from the shards of Narsil.'

Aragorn holds the sword and takes it from Elrond's proffered hands.

'Sauron will not have forgotten the Sword of Elendil.' he says as he takes it out of it's case and holds it up admiring it. 'The blade that was broken shall return to Minas Tirith'

'The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth. Put aside the Ranger. Become who you were born to be. Take the Dimholt road.' Elrond begs. 'I give hope to men.' he says in elvish.

'I keep none for myself.' Aragorn replies, also in elvish. He puts sword back in it's case.

'There is another matter.' Elrond says, with a quick glance at me. I take this as my key to stand and join them.

'Seloriel' Aragorn says, 'what are you doing here? You should not be in a place of war, you should be safely leaving with the others of your kind.'

'My niece would be of great help to you on your journey, Aragorn. She is the last of the Elvish mages. She can help you.' Elrond states.

'This is no place for a Princess, surely you know that, my lord?'

'You know Seloriel, Aragorn, there is no chance that she would want to stay at home. Especially when so much she loves is at stake. She will travel with you, she would not be able to bear being parted from you. She will help protect you. Your friendship is far too important to her' Elrond exclaimed.

'Very well, but what am I to tell the others? I travel in the company of Legolas and Gimli still. They do not know of her origins, nor her powers. Am I to tell them the truth?'

'You need not explain much at all, Aragorn. Simply introduce me as an elvish mage that you befriended years ago. One who will be travelling in your company. If that wish to know more about me, they may ask me. I have nothing to hide' I say with grim determination.

'Well then, let us pack' Aragorn states.