Chapter 9

Rivendell

Autumn, 3009

Lothíriel stared at Rivendell. She could hardly believe that they had finally arrived after such a lengthy journey from Dol Amroth. In the light of the dwindling sun the entire valley seemed to glow warmly. She studied the scene for a minute more before encouraging Hazelfal forward down the path. The air around them smelled of pine and oak and in the distance she could hear light music of harps and flutes. With each step the music grew louder and Lothíriel felt a sense of peace wash over her with the beat.

Eventually the party reached a stoney bridge. As they crossed it, Lothíriel saw two figures. One of them was a fine lord with long, dark hair. Around his head was a silver circlet that twinkled in the light. His robes were layered, each a deep shade of brown and orange, accenting the golden leaves still clinging to the trees around him. The other figure was a beautiful woman. Her hair was as dark as obsidian and her skin was as pale as moonlight. Someone in glinting silver armor stepped forward and took Hazelfal's reins so Lothíriel could dismount. As her feet touched the ground, the lord stepped forward.

"Welcome to Rivendell my lord and lady. I am Elrond and this is my daughter, Arwen Undómiel. We have been anticipating your arrival for quite some time." He smiled warmly at Lothíriel and took her hand. He led her over towards Arwen, who, like her father, smiled kindly at her before taking her hand from Elrond's grasp and guiding her up the stairs. Lothíriel turned her gaze towards her brother who was being greeted by Lord Elrond behind them.

After a few moments of silence, Arwen spoke. "You have been on the road for quite some time. I have no doubt that you are looking forward to sleeping in a room that is more private than a tent." Lothíriel nodded and looked up at the beautiful elf.

"I had heard from Elladan on the way here how beautiful Rivendell is. I am glad I will be able to spend my time living in such a place." They reached the top of the stairs and Lothíriel saw the gardens of Rivendell. There were such bright flowers and bushes that Lothíriel could have sworn they were frozen in time, clinging to the last breath of a summer that had ended long ago. She reached out and touched one of the leaves of a rose bush as they passed it. Exiting the gardens, they stepped through an archway that led to a room warmed by a large fireplace. Beside the fireplace was a long, wooden table that was carved with images of birds and bears and deer along the top and sides. On the walls hung beautiful tapestries that ranged in color. Some showed battles while others showed scenes of men and women embracing.

Arwen led her out of the dining hall and through a long hallway. Lothíriel stopped at a pedestal that had pieces of a broken blade laid out carefully. On the wall opposite of the pedestal was a mural. Its image depicted Isildur's victory over Sauron. Arwen turned her gaze and stared at the mural behind Lothíriel as well. "The bravery of Men is something that I have admired for a long time. The coming days are ones where the light will begin to diminish and there will be a great need for bravery among Men." She guided Lothíriel away from the mural and down the hall until they reached a door.

Lothíriel stared at the room for several seconds. Inside was a bed with a large white blanket embroidered with silver and gold patterns. The headboard was a tan wood, carved to look like snowflakes, suspended in their decent. At the foot of the bed stood a wooden chest that was adorned with silver. Past the bed was a fireplace built into the intersection of the two walls. Within the light of the fire stood a desk and chair. Like the dining table Lothíriel had passed earlier, there were beautiful carvings along the sides. On top of the surface of the desk lay, in a neat stack, blank sheets of paper with a quill and ink. The last thing she saw in the room was a large door that led out to a small balcony.

She stepped into the room and removed her cloak as the fire's heat warmed her chilled body. She took a seat on the chest and looked at Arwen. "It doesn't seem real, to finally be here after such a long journey." Arwen glided forward and took her hands within her own, the kind smile still on her face.

"Well, now you are here and you and I shall be very good friends, perhaps even like sisters. I hope that you will try and think of this place as your home for as long as you are with us." Lothíriel returned her smile and nodded. Arwen stood and made her way towards the open door. Before passing through, she turned back towards Lothíriel. "Are you hungry? It is past the time that we normally eat here, but I'm sure that Cook wouldn't mind fixing something for you."

"Actually, we ate on the road right before we arrived, so it's not necessary. Besides, I'd rather finish unpacking and go to sleep as soon as I'm able. I'd like to recover from this journey as soon as possible." Lothíriel touched the bed to her side. She stood as she heard footsteps approaching. After only a few moments, two men carried several of Lothíriel's bags through the door and placed them neatly close to the fire and bowed before exiting.

"Well," Arwen stepped through the opening of the door, "your maid should be here soon, so I will leave you for the time being and we will become better acquainted once you have rested from your travels." She bid her final good night before closing the door softly and walking back through the halls. Lothíriel looked at her bags for a few moments before finally opening the largest one and began removing the dresses. She shook them out before folding them into place within the chest. She was well into the second bag that held her night-clothes and undergarments when a soft knock sounded at the door before it was opened. A tall woman with light brown hair pinned up entered the room with a small smile in place. She bowed before Lothíriel.

"My lady, I am Arvellon. I will serve as both your aid as well as your tutor for the time you are with us." She straightened before gazing knowingly into Lothíriel's eyes. "I served as Lady Arwen's tutor for several years when she was still a child. I hope you will accept me as a capable teacher during your stay in Imladris. I will teach you everything that you will need to know as a noble lady. The only thing I will not teach you is how to control your sight, as that is Lord Elrond's area."

Lothíriel nodded, "Thank you for your service. I look forward to learning from you." She smiled a bit longer before turning back to continue unpacking, the only difference was that this time Arvellon worked beside her, placing some of the smaller items out on top of the desk. They worked in silence until, finally, everything was unpacked. Making sure nothing was left to put away, Arvellon led Lothíriel out of her chamber towards a large pool of steaming water. Arvellon had carried not only the soaps that were required for Lothíriel to bathe but her night clothes as well. She placed them down in a neatly folded pile before she removed Lothíriel's cloak from her shoulders and helped her out of her dusty clothes from the days of riding.

Lothíriel stepped into the water and felt the pleasant sensation of heat soaking into her. As she sunk deeper into the pool she noticed the scent of roses and jasmine rising from the steam. Her sore muscles relaxed as she laid her head back, allowing the water to cover her hair. For minutes she laid back and allowed the water to guide her to restfulness before sitting back up and moving towards the edge of the pool so Arvellon could use the soap she had brought. She must have sensed Lothíriel's weariness because she simply sang a poem softly until she had finished scrubbing the long black hair. If not for her desire to sleep, Lothíriel might have stayed in the pool for hours more. After rinsing her hair, she stepped up and allowed Arvellon to dress her in the nightgown and place the cloak around her again before stepping out into the hall and making her way to her room. She needed to rest so that she would be ready for whatever it was Elrond was going to teach her.


Lothíriel stared into the deep pool within the gardens as she waited for Elrond to join her. She had been in Rivendell for nearly a week and had fully enjoyed the pleasures of home as well as the company of the elves who had quickly befriended her. Erchirion had requested a room close to the library and Elrond had been more than happy to make him comfortable wherever he wished. Elladan and Elrohir hadn't stayed for more than a day before deciding to return to the north to hunt anything that belonged to the darkness. She had grown very close to Arwen and through her she had met a ranger named Aragorn. The two had shared many looks that Lothíriel had seen on Elphir and Meira's faces several times. Her musings were interrupted by a deep, smooth voice.

"I see that you have arrived before me. I am glad to see that you are punctual." He nodded cordially to Lothíriel as she rose. No longer was she dressed as a young boy for riding, but in a deep blue dress with thin purple roses embellished along it. The day was chilled but thanks to the mountains surrounding Imladris, the winds never sped faster than a quiet breeze.

"I was anxious to begin and was happy to hear you were ready to receive me at last." She smiled before coming to his side as they walked down one of the garden paths. "I wondered why you waited this long, though I must admit, I enjoyed being able to rest after such a tedious journey."

"As was my intent." He stopped for a moment and gazed towards a single dragonfly as it flew through the air. Turning his face to hers, Lothíriel could see in his gaze both friendliness and command. "How old are you now princess?"

"I turned eleven during the beginning of the trip, I will be twelve come the next fall." Lothíriel watched Elrond nod to himself.

"So your gift presented itself when you were ten years old?" Lothíriel nodded her affirmation before the pair began their stroll down the path again. "What do you remember about that day before the vision came upon you?"

"I woke up later than normal and was called to join my brothers on the beach. I had skipped breakfast that morning because my stomach had been hurting during the dark hours of the morning and I didn't want to upset it even further. I got dressed and began to make my way through the corridors and fell upon the vision." She turned her thoughts back to the panic she had seen on her father and brothers' faces when they had seen her crumpled on the floor.

"Has your stomach hurt any other times before having a vision?" Elrond's eyes studied Lothíriel's face as she thought.

"Now that you mention it, I would feel a strange pang that was similar to hunger, though I never wanted food at the moment. But it would happen hours before a vision came so I never thought much about it. When I told Amrothos about my stomach pains, he always told me I was likely suffering from indigestion." After mentioning Amrothos, Lothíriel felt a sting of homesickness before being called back to attention by Elrond's words.

"It was not indigestion. Your body was reacting to the fact you had already received the vision within you." Lothíriel stopped in surprise and stared at Elrond's face. He smiled knowingly at her before continuing, "This is good. It means that you have the opportunity to experience your visions without the possibility of self harm." Lothíriel could still feel the surprise running through her, but it no longer froze her to where she was standing. She began taking steps in silence as she imagined being able to control the visions. Finally, after several mute minutes, she asked the question she had weighing on her mind.

"Does that mean I'll be able to keep from feeling the pain whenever something painful happens within the vision?" Elrond shook his head, the smile disappearing from his mouth.

"Pain is something you will have to overcome yourself. I have never experienced pain during a vision. The fact that you do may mean one of two things. You are either too close to whoever you are experiencing your vision through, or it is simply because the blood that runs through your veins is that of a human." Lothíriel sighed in resignation at Elrond's words. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You may not be able to control all the aspects of your visions, but I will do my very best to teach you how to live with them without letting them effect your daily life as much as it has." Elrond led Lothíriel off the path and into a place where three tall trees stood over a small stream. He knelt by the stream and dipped his fingers in. As the cold water rushed past his fingers he looked back up.

"Time is much like this stream. It continues on its way no matter what comes along. However, while it is certain that time will go on, and the future is always approaching, the future is dictated by both the past and the present actions of us and everyone around us." He picked up a large stone and handed it to Lothíriel. "If you were to place that stone anywhere in the stream, would it stop the stream from running? Try, and see what happens." Lothíriel knelt beside him and as soon as the stone was set, the water shifted and continued along its path while going around the stone instead of through it. "The stream had no way of knowing that the stone was coming, but that is something that has forever shaped its future." Elrond stood and offered his hand to Lothíriel on the ground. "The world is like this. It will continue going forward no matter what is put in front of it. You and I have the ability to see what stones are coming and are able to help those who must prepare for its arrival."

Lothíriel nodded as she continued to watch the stream. "But what does this have to do with being able to stay awake during my visions?"

"Much like how time and the stream move forward without a care, so must you gaze upon the future. You are not able to stop the stone's decent, but unless in the moment you see it you are a passive observer, you will wear yourself out. Your body fights with it as soon as it enters and this is why you also fall unconscious." Elrond turned from Lothíriel and stepped up to one of the trees. The roots had grown into the shape of a gnarly chair. "You will come here each morning and practice becoming a passive observer. While you do so, you will also practice your breathing."

Lothíriel's eyebrows furrowed and her voice was indignant. "I know how to breathe."

Elrond's eyes looked at her sharply. "In the future you will not always have this place, let alone a garden, to concentrate. By practicing your breathing, you will have a place in your mind that will always aid you as this place will." Lothíriel's mouth shut as she felt her face heat up. "Now," his voice was once again gentle, "come have a seat and close your eyes." Lothíriel followed his direction in silence. "I want you to take a slow, deep breath before letting it out just as slowly. Just as the water is washing over the land, so should your breath wash over you." Lothíriel took several deep breaths and with each one, her body began to relax. After some time Elrond directed her to open her eyes.

She smiled up at him. "It's amazing!" All around her the sounds of squirrels chittering to each other up in the trees was more apparent and the sound of quietly moving water hung in the air. Elrond nodded in agreement before returning the smile. He provided his hand to help Lothíriel up and they made their way out of the garden where Arvellon stood waiting.