Beta by Wendwriter - thanks.
The following days came and went in what seemed like no time at all, as the party of elves made their way towards Mirkwood. Faelwen drank in the sight of every new tree or rock with as much happiness as if they were undiscovered kingdoms and the others found their own moods made light by her merry laughter. Feredir's joy at being in his sister's company did not fade – quite the opposite in fact; and the two spent many hours of the journey singing happily together as they rode, with occasional accompaniment from the rest of their party. With the weather in their favour, they made quick progress and found that, by sunset on the sixth day, the green leaves of
Mirkwood were looming in the distance.
Looking at old trees as they drew ever closer, Faelwen grew sombre. It was a peculiar feeling: she felt as though she was seeing this majestic forest for the very first time…yet in reality, she was returning home. Elrohir, seeing her expression, guided his horse so that he could ride side by side with her.
"Are you all right, gwaleth?" he asked seriously, his voice just above a whisper. She nodded.
"I am fine," she told him reassuringly. "Honestly, I am. It is just a little strange to think that essentially, I am returning home. And I do not even recognise it…"
"Imladris will always be your home, no matter what happens here," Elrohir told her, grey eyes clear and sincere. Faelwen had to smile.
"Do not worry brother, I will not forget that," she laughed. "I had to swear to Estel by every Valar there is that I would return to Imladris and that I would not decide to stay here. This visit will change nothing of what I am to you, or what you are to me. I do want to see my birth father again – there is so much I want to say to him; so much I want to ask him. But even then, Ada is and always will be my Ada. And you will always be my brother."
"Good," said Elrohir with a cheeky grin. "Goodness knows why, but I have become rather attached to you! Elladan! Are we going to keep going tonight, or shall we stop when darkness falls?"
"I think we should stop," Elladan called in reply, looking back over his shoulder at them, "For we are in no hurry and the horses are starting to tire. If we camp in the shelter of those great boulders tonight, we will be able to reach Mirkwood in but a little time tomorrow morning, with a good night's sleep on our side."
It was a suggestion that was warmly welcomed by the rest of the party, for they had been travelling since sunrise and even Elven muscles can grow weary atop a horse. As soon as they reached the group of craggy rocks that Elladan had pointed out, they leapt gratefully from their horses and stretched their tired limbs. Alyan, however remained mounted.
"I will ride ahead this night," the eldest son of Calanon informed them. "This is going to be a great shock for Ada. I fear if we simply arrive back home with our long-dead sister in tow, we might shock him halfway to Mandos! I will ride on now and reach our home as soon as I can. I will try to explain everything to the best of my ability, so that when you all arrive tomorrow, at least he is prepared for it. After all, this will be the last thing he is expecting."
"That is a good idea," said Raunien, nodding. "Ride safe then, brother, and we shall see you again tomorrow. Give our love to Ada." The sons of Elrond neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply nodded silently.
"Stay safe, all of you," said Alyan in farewell, before urging his horse forward and riding off into the twilight. As the hooves of his steed faded out of even elven earshot, the rest of the party began to busy themselves with the business of relieving the horses of their saddles, fetching kindling to start a fire and unrolling blankets. Elladan and Elrohir placed their blankets in the usual spots: on either side of Faelwen, as they had done every night of the journey so far.
"We do not plan to steal her in the night," Feredir suddenly observed; a trace of resentment in his voice. "You do not need to guard her!" The small campsite went very quiet.
"We are not guarding her!" lied Elladan, remembering how ardently Faelwen had pleaded with both him and Elrohir not to tell Feredir the true story of what had happened to her. He would not do so now, no matter how much he wanted to. "You forget that although she is your sister by blood, she has been our little sister for over a thousand years and she has not travelled outside Imladris before. We are simply looking out for her now as we ever have done. It is what brothers are supposed to do." Feredir's eyes narrowed slightly, as he tried to fathom if this was an insult or not.
Sensing the sudden animosity in the air, Faelwen looked quickly for a distraction. "Come, are we going to light this fire before the next age begins?" she called lightly.
Feredir, who carried the tinder box, was forced to turn away from the grave faced half-Elf and cross the small campsite to rummage in his back for it. Faelwen held out her hand for it, but he shook his head silently, and knelt by the small pile of bark and branches to light the little blaze himself. They sat down around the fire in a half circle and, as Elrohir began to sing a moving lament to Gil Galad (which Faelwen was certain had been written by Erestor) the ill feeling disappeared as quickly as it had risen.
Faelwen stretched out on her back, letting Elrohir's pure voice fill her mind, as it conjured up pictures of the great High King of the Noldor himself. But even as she did so, she could feel the familiar nervousness beginning to gnaw at her insides again.
Tomorrow she was going to meet her blood father – an Elf she had not seen for over a millennium. She tried to work out what exactly she was feeling. Was she nervous? Very. Excited? Of course. Curious? In the extreme. Tomorrow was certainly going to be a big day for her! A life-changing day…
"Faelwen, this is the third time and I am not going to call you again!" Elladan's voice jarred her abruptly back into consciousness. "If you do not get up now, I am going to fetch one of the water flasks and empty it over your head!"
Faelwen sat up hurriedly and wriggled out of her cocoon of blankets to the sound of the combined laughter of the others. She sighed exaggeratedly as she rubbed her eyes – she had forgotten what the downside of being so successfully reunited with her birth brothers would be; five other Elves to tease her at times like these! The good-natured repartee continued amongst them all as they broke their fast and began to ready themselves to depart. Faelwen took care to braid her hair properly that morning – the least she could do was to make sure she looked tidy!
"I had no idea you were so vain, sister!" cried Feredir with a wicked grin as he watched Faelwen fuss over the state of her clothes. "It is a trait which ill becomes you!"
"Just do not let her near a mirror!" chuckled Elladan, joining in on the fun.
"Good grief, no!" cried Elrohir. "We shall be here all day!"
"Nine brothers…why did I have to be lumbered with nine brothers?" Faelwen demanded of the sky, while seven of the brothers in question grinned at her sarcastic tone. "Why could you not have given me another sister instead?"
"I am wounded," smirked Elladan, clutching at his chest melodramatically. "You know you love us really!" Sensing that she was hopelessly outnumbered on the teasing front, Faelwen decided to say no more.
Approximately an hour after they had risen, they once again mounted their horses and cantered off towards the huge expanse of trees. "We will ride with you as far as their home," Elladan explained as they set off. "We will stay with you for a short while, just to make sure that everything is all right. Then Elrohir and I will head off to see Thranduil and Legolas; and we shall return to collect you when it is time to depart for Lorien. Is that all right?"
"Of course," Faelwen answered, looking a little green about the gills. "Thank you for coming with me. I think I would have turned and run back to Imladris after the first mile, had I not had you and Elrohir with me!"
"Like I told your twin last night," said Elladan gently. "That is what brothers are for!"
As soon as they rode beneath the first of the trees, Faelwen let out a loud gasp. This forest was so alive! She could feel the trees; sense them, hear them and empathise with them. Every inch of her body seemed suddenly to be buzzing.
"What is wrong?" asked Elrohir worriedly.
"Nothing," Faelwen exhaled with a smile, her eyes closed. "These trees are old, so very old…and so alive! I can feel the life in them! It's almost as if…as if they were reaching out to me! I can hear their voices!"
"You are returning to the woods of your birth," Aradan explained, eyes dancing with amusement at the expression on Faelwen's face. "They will connect with you in a way that no other woodland can."
"It is amazing!" whispered Faelwen, her eyes still closed. "Truly, I have never felt anything so strong and wild before! There is so much wisdom here."
"Come sister, you can chat to the trees as we ride, but we must be moving on," said Raunien lightly, clicking to his stallion as he geed him into a walk again. "We must try to make quick progress through the woods. Ada will be expecting us."
They had been travelling through the trees for little more than half an hour when the sudden sound of many horses and riders came suddenly to their ears.
"This path is clear, there are no tracks," called one voice – definitely elven.
"No sign over here either!" cried another. The hooves suddenly got very much louder and their path was suddenly blocked by a score of fair-haired elves on horseback; all of whom were wearing traditional Mirkwood brown and green. At their head, was a face that Faelwen and the twins were delighted to see – Legolas.
As soon as the prince of Mirkwood set eyes on his friends, he leapt from his horse with an exclamation of happiness. The three children of Elrond did the same and for a moment, there was welcomes all around; as Legolas embraced the twins and planted a noisy kiss on Faelwen's cheek.
"I never thought I should see you outside of Imladris, my friend!" he exclaimed as he hugged the breath out of her. "They have convinced you to journey with them at last I see. Is Estel not with you? Elladan, Elrohir, you never mentioned coming to visit in your last letter! I could have ridden to meet you at the borders of the wood if I had known you were coming."
"Estel is still in Imladris. This was hardly a planned visit," said Elladan in a quiet whisper, looking back to where their travelling companions were standing. They looked hesitant and uncertain; amazed that their sister was on first-name terms with their prince. "Those Elves are Faelwen's brothers."
"What!?" Legolas's eyes immediately darkened and he opened his mouth to speak again. Elrohir, not wanting Legolas to give away the true story to Feredir, hurriedly raised his hand to silence the prince.
"Peace, Legolas," he implored. "It is a long story. Elladan and I can tell you it in full soon. In the mean time, we are escorting Faelwen to the dwelling of her father by blood."
"What?" cried Legolas again, looking flummoxed.
"It is only to visit," Faelwen assured him hurriedly, before dropping her voice to a barely perceptible whisper. "My twin does not know the full story. He thinks that I was bitten by a spider and swept away by the river. I do not want him to know what really happened!"
"Hmph. I suppose I can be civil, my friend. For you." Legolas shot Faelwen his charming smile, but there remained a hint of turbulence in his eyes when he regarded the rest of the party. "Where is it you are headed?"
"We live in the far north of the wood; a mile from your father's halls, your highness," answered Raunien, bowing his head respectfully. "My Daerada built the house when he reached his majority."
"I see. Well, if Lord Iolwin will permit it, Faelwen, I will take my leave of the patrol and see you there safely," said Legolas, looking enquiringly at the leader of his group. "There has been a woeful increase in spider activity these last few weeks!"
"By all means, my prince, conduct my lady there," said Iolwin, captain of the guard, nodding approvingly. "I will expect you back at the halls this evening."
"We are nearly there now," Nithron announced later on. Calanon's sons had barely spoken since Legolas had joined them; Feredir because he was nervous in his presence, the others because they rightly supposed that Prince Legolas knew the full story of their sister's suffering. "We turn right at the end of this clearing and then the house will be in sight."
The instant Faelwen saw the house, memories suddenly came slamming into her mind with full force. It was a large welcoming looking building, two stories high and built of a rich dark pine wood. Suddenly, memories flooded her mind like the sudden breaking of a dam. She remembered it! She remembered playing with Feredir by the front door. She remembered Calanon picking her up in his arms and spinning around with her until she shrieked in delight.
There were other memories; darker ones. She remembered when Alyan had shut her in the small cupboard in the kitchen. She remembered when Nithron had threatened to throw her out on of the upper windows, a threat that she had believed at the time. She remembered hiding under her bed, cowering as they looked for her. But she would not dwell on the darker times now…they were behind her. She would focus on the few happy memories of the house that she had.
The group dismounted quickly, and Voronwë hurried inside. Faelwen felt her heart begin to speed up and she gazed intensely on the doorway. Someone was squeezing her shoulder, but she was not sure if it was Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas or Feredir; so focused was she on that doorway. Would Calanon truly be glad to see her? Would he be pleased with how she'd turned out? She could barely breathe for nerves and excitement!
The door opened, and her heart missed a beat. Voronwë and Alyan, both looking solemn, stepped outside to be followed by a silver-haired Elf whom Faelwen recognised at once. It was her father.
"Alassë!" Now that she heard his voice and saw his face, she wondered how she could ever have forgotten him.
"Mae Govannen, Adar." she said, a trifle shakily. She could not call him Ada. No, not at all. That name was, and ever would be Elrond's. Her vision blurred with tears as both she and Calanon hurried towards each other to meet halfway with a frantic embrace. Faelwen had always thought that only the twins had the ability to squeeze the breath out of the recipient of their hugs, but Calanon's embrace was so strong, she felt as though her ribs might crack.
"Elbereth be praised!" Calanon whispered tearfully into her hair, his powerful shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "My precious little one! I though that I had lost you for good!" He drew back a moment to kiss her forehead and clasped her face between his hands. "You are the very image of your mother!" And he swept her back into his arms again.
The embrace lasted for several minutes more before Calanon registered that there were three others present; and that one of them was the son of his king. Making Legolas a polite bow, he asked that one of his children would introduce the other two elves; although from what Alyan had explained to him, he knew who they were.
"Ada, this is Elladan and Elrohir Elrondion of Imladris." Feredir performed the introductions.
"They are my foster brothers," Faelwen told Calanon tearfully.
"Mae Govannen," the twins said as one, both placing their hands on their hearts before extending them in the traditional Elven greeting. Calanon returned the gesture, tears still showing on his cheeks.
"Mayhap we should all head inside," volunteered Feredir. "We can all talk properly that way."
"I think we must be leaving now," said Elladan in reply. "The three of us must return to King Thranduil's halls before darkness sets in." Faelwen left her father's side for a moment to bid them all farewell. With tears still welling in her eyes, she embraced Elladan tightly.
"Thank you for bringing me here," she whispered, her voice trembling a little. "Be careful."
"We will be," Elladan promised, kissing her forehead. Leaving her here was going to be even harder than he expected. "You take care now."
"Remember," said Elrohir gently, as he swapped places with Elladan and hugged her tightly. "We will only be an hour hence if you need us. If anything happens, one of the birds will bear a message and we will come running. We shall be back for you in three days. May the Valar watch over you until then." He echoed Elladan's gesture and kissed her forehead. Finally, Faelwen turned to Legolas, who had watched the exchange with an understanding smile.
"I hope everything turns out well," The fair-haired prince told her with a smile. "Hopefully, I will see you again before you depart for Lorien. Farewell until then." Another embrace, then Legolas placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.
"Give my love to your father," Faelwen told him as he and the twins headed back towards their horses. "Be careful, all of you!" All three replied with reassuring smiles as they mounted and then, with final calls of farewell, they were once again swallowed up by the trees.
A strong hand grasped Faelwen's own and she looked up to see Calanon standing next to her; his eyes bright but understanding. "Come inside," he said gently. "We have much to catch up on."
Faelwen swallowed and nodded with a tearful smile, following him into the house; with three days now in front of her to get to know her father.