A/N: Thank you all for the sweet comments after the first chapter. I'm very happy and so very relieved you liked it! I was so happy in fact with those lovely comments that the second chapter basically wrote itself.
Enjoy!
Glazed purple eyes stared up at the ceiling, wide open but unseeing as the silver-haired elfling slept on peacefully in her canopy bed.
Birds chirped cheerfully outside her window and as the first rays of sunlight rose left a golden sheen everywhere they touched, the young elleth woke from her rest. Still, she didn't jump up as she usually did after a night of restful dreams. Instead she took the time to think for a bit.
It had been years since that dreadful morning in which she left her mother's womb and entered a world full of magic and wonder.
Thankfully, the years she spent as an infant were muted, almost non-existent in her mind. Botched reincarnation or not, El was very grateful she didn't have to consciously deal with being breastfed, or the indignities and frustrations of being a completely helpless infant of an elfling.
Thank Mandos for that.
The brain of a baby wasn't meant to support the mental capacity of a fully grown adult. So it was only when the years passed and Elarinya grew into toddlerhood that she slowly became more aware of her surroundings and finally realized exactly where she'd been reborn.
And the fact she'd truly changed species.
Elarinya was an elf.
Looking at her lightly tanned limbs, the girl let out a delighted giggle when that very same arm glowed like she'd swallowed a star. That little fact of elf biology never got old.
Like her father, Elarinya glowed with an inner silver light.
"Twinkle twinkle, little star." She sang quietly under her breath, grinning as she fell back into her fluffy pillows.
Life was as strange as hell for the reborn soul, but good.
Very good.
She still thought it was strange how comfortable she was in her new body. There was no body-horror or dysphoria despite the foreign long limbs, weirdly light bones, inner glow and haunting, almost alien type of beauty.
Because she was beautiful in this new life and it was doing wonders for her confidence.
With the shining silver hair of her father's line and purple eyes set in a face so like her mother's, Elarinya was a beautiful child that would grow into a truly bewitching adult. She was as cute as a button in her new life, graceful and according to her indulgent parents and tutors, very intelligent as well.
Basically, even for an elf she'd won the genetic lottery.
They weren't aware that she'd been reborn though she wouldn't be all that surprised if her parents suspected something. All elflings matured more quickly on the mental side of things rather unlike the other races, but Elarinya's mental development increased with startling speed after she'd left the infant stage and hit the double digits of elven toddlerhood.
And her senses. Her eyesight was sharper than ever, her instincts keener and her movements were quick and quiet not unlike the gait of a stalking predator. Or a graceful ballerina.
She loved it.
And she loved her new parents.
El still didn't remember her former life in full. The memories of the loved ones she left behind were muted, leaving only vague impressions of a mother who loved her, and maybe an older sibling or two. She hadn't remembered a father yet, and suspected she never would.
Not all fathers were as involved in the raising of their kids as her new dad.
She'd died young, she knew that much. Barely into adulthood, her end had been quick and sudden. Strangely enough, the things she remembered best were the books she read and the movies she watched. Perhaps that too was a form of self protection.
Better to remember the kinda useless knowledge of the books she'd read and movies she watched than to carry the grief of a lost family with her into the eternity of her life as an immortal elf.
She had a new family now, and they deserved a daughter and sister who could love them fully.
Her new dad, her ada, was a bit of an arrogant asshole, but Elarinya loved how the enormously tall silver-haired ellon visibly melted whenever she came into his field of vision. King Thingol was stern and stubborn and so very proud but to her he was just her ada.
He ruled over his lands with an iron fist, but was fair and merciful when possible.
And their people adored him for it.
As the war against Morgoth and his foul creatures continued on, her father was Doriath's strongest warrior and one of the best tactical minds of the court. He led his armies and won the battles against the darkness he fought in.
On her mother's wise council he became allies with the dwarrow of Belegost who he then hired to create the halls of Menegroth, the beautiful castle under the mountain Elarinya was born and got to grow up in.
It was there he gathered their people, and together they weathered the onslaught of Morgoth's nightmarish creatures.
Her naneth on the other hand was softer than her father, but just as badass. Melian was her father's partner in everything, ruling at his side like an equal. That was one of the things she liked best about the Eldar, there were very little gender norms.
Here it was all about ability.
Ellith could become warriors or rulers just like a ellon could do any job that in her former life would have been considered to be 'feminine'.
Her queen-mother wasn't a warrior in the traditional sense, but that didn't matter to Elarinya. She was smart, compassionate and something of a spymaster. And with her powerful wards, Doriath's strongest defender.
No one messed with Queen Melian.
Her mother was one of the Maiar in service of Vána and Estë, something of a nature spirit or perhaps a witch. Or maybe a minor god, Elarinya wasn't quite clear on that yet. But her mother was powerful, and her foresight even more so.
She foretold the coming of Morgoth and protected their lands with all her might.
Queen Melian ruled very effectively over the court and unlike Thingol, charmed every elf, man or dwarf she met. The Maia loved to sing and dance, and often took her youngest daughter with her as she danced around nature, growing and healing as she went.
Elarinya's parents loved each other, but that didn't mean they were perfect. They were proud beings, stubborn and often arrogant in a way that only the elder elves could be.
Lúthien was one such example of her parents' stubbornness. Elarinya's older sister, her brave and beautiful muinthel.
She knew she'd heard that name before. It had been a name she recognized from her first life, murky as her memories were. The name Lúthien was bound to an all too familiar story, a story it seemed Elerinya was now living in.
Her brave mortal sister, and her husband, Beren.
As time passed and her brain adjusted to her new circumstances, Elarinya started to remember more of the life before this one and the stories she'd once known. Not much, as she had the feeling that she hadn't known much about this particular story. Just enough to pick some things up.
And the things she did know? They were far in the future. What use was it to know about the Hobbits Frodo and Bilbo now? Or about Arwen, Ara-something and Lord Elrond? Useless. Absolutely useless.
Only Elrond had been born yet, currently serving in the court of the High King Gil-galad.
Meanwhile she was here, in an Age in which the fallen Ainur Melkor, now Morgoth still roamed. Her mother had foreseen the coming attack, and so her father had made sure all their people were safe inside the newly constructed Menegroth.
Her mother's wards had been protecting the lands for close to a century now, enclosing the mountains and the forests of their kingdom within her protective wards, making Beleriand safe for everyone living there. But no one could enter, and no one could leave. Only one who was more powerful than the Maiar Melian herself could cross the wards, and there were very few people more powerful than her naneth.
But she knew, deep inside her soul she knew it wouldn't be enough.
Her parents' strength and wisdom wouldn't be enough.
If things continued as the story she vaguely remembered from her past life, then Doriath would fall, taking her father with it. Lúthien and her husband would die. Her mother would waste away in her grief, sailing to Valinor.
Alone.
Elarinya frowned, fists clenching on top of her sheets. She could not let that happen. She could not let her family and people fall to their doom, not if she had anything to say about it.
And it all started with that damned Silmaril.
The Silmaril her father had gained over the bodies of Huan and Beren. The Silmaril he treasured with increasing intensity. The Silmaril he'd lose his life and kingdom over if he wasn't careful.
If El couldn't save him.
So she'd quickly resolved to make use of her young age and the fact that her parents kept her surprisingly close for a royal couple. She did her best to draw her father's attention away from the insidious and malevolent power, but the jewel was powerful.
Her father was slipping away from them.
Every time he visited the hidden chamber where he'd secreted the damn thing to, she lost a piece of her father. She tried to lure him away from it and sometimes she succeeded, but it wasn't enough.
She needed a new plan.
Most of the time she had was spent with her various tutors, or cradled in her parents arms, listening carefully to all the things her pointed ears shouldn't be able to understand.
It was how she learned about the true situation with Morgoth, the dwarves or even her sister. And eavesdropping on her private conversations between her parents and their court told her the rest.
Her sister was a hero.
Though the elves might not think so, too confused by her choice to marry a mortal man, but Elarinya knew who her sister was. She'd saved Beren, riding to his rescue like a fairy tale hero. She'd fought and defeated all that stood in her way. Her sister had died for him.
For love.
And now she was living a mortal life with her Beren.
Her parents didn't, hadn't understood how their first born could give up her precious immortality for the uncertainty of a mortal life. They liked Beren well enough, but they hated that they would lose their daughter to the unknown fate of Men.
Elarinya could understand that much. Her adar and naneth wanted what was best for their daughters, and Lúthien was the first of the Eldar to mate and marry with a mortal. She was a mortal herself now.
Her sister's future as a mortal was short and uncertain, and that must be intolerable for the High King and Queen of Doriath.
The quest Thingol had asked Beren to do was unjust and close to impossible, but it had come from a good place. Elarinya just wished it hadn't caused a rift between the members of her family. That the thing he'd asked as bride-price for his eldest daughter's hand hadn't been the one thing that would result in Doriath's doom.
Thingol had his Silmaril, but there were fractures in his relationship with his eldest daughter that Elarinya wasn't sure they had the time to fix.
But Lúthien was mortal now, and living happily away from her parents' court as the Lady of Tol Galen. Elarinya, as the second born of the rulers of Doriath, was now the Heiress to the kingdom.
The Crown-Princess of the kingdom of Doriath.
"Yo-ho, it's a princess's life for me." The young elleth hummed, grinning as she jumped out of her cozy bed. The sun was rising above the treetops surrounding her home and it was time to get ready for a new day.
There were no strings of nursemaids, or servants for the royal family. Only a few trusted people were allowed to take care of her when her parents couldn't, but most of the time Elarinya preferred to get ready by herself.
After all, even if she looked like an adorable toddler, she wasn't. Not truly.
By the time she finished brushing her teeth with the minty powder that served as toothpaste here, Elarinya was ready to stop reminiscing and face the new day. Skipping towards her closet - which was so big it was basically a whole 'nother room - she picked out a favorite outfit of hers.
A pretty little day dress that was easy enough to slip on herself, without the help of any of the maids.
Today's dress is bright yellow, because she loved the sunshine. Gold was her favorite color, but yellow came close. There was some pretty embroidery on the hems depicting white lily of the valley flowers and light green stems curling around each other into a braid.
A bright little dress to help give her courage and wisdom for the next step of her plan.
"And what are you up to, daughter?" A bemused voice came from behind her, making the little elleth turn around with a grin.
"Nana!"
Her mother came up to her, and guided her daughter to the delicate vanity before she deftly started brushing and braiding the sleep-mussed mess of silver waves.
Looking in the mirror, purple met purple.
"Good morrow to you, my morning star." Melian wished her daughter with a graceful little smile.
Elarinya smiled back, basking in the feel of her mother's fingers in her hair. "Good morrow, nana. You look very pretty today!"
And she did.
The dress her mother was wearing was entirely in white, which made the dark brown, almost black of her hair appear that much more saturated. Where it should have washed out her skin, the white instead brought out the rosy undertone of it, giving her a healthy looking flush.
Her eyes were a piercing purple, and leagues more vibrant than the curling silver and lilac vine embroidery on the skirts of her dress and over the right sleeve.
A beautiful gown fit for a queen.
"Such a sweet daughter I have." The woman cooed, finishing the braid.
"Thank you!" The young elleth exclaimed, examining the pretty crown braid her mother had put into her hair. It looked deceptively complicated, and she loved it.
Melian smiled, gracefully kneeling down for a hug. "You are very welcome."
Elarinya was twelve years old now, and physically the equivalent of a human four-year-old. Time passed by quickly, and she wondered if that too had something to do with her new race.
Elves easily lived for millenia upon millenia if not dying in battle or fading in grief, and she knew that she would live that long as well. It was a daunting prospect, immortality, but she wasn't afraid.
Not for as long as she had her family is this new eternity of theirs.
She was still a toddler now, and would stay that way for another ten or so years according to the elven ways. She would be fifty by the time her childhood was over with and the much dreaded puberty would begin.
El would only be an official adult when she reached the hundred, but even then it would take another few centuries before the ancient elves surrounding her would begin to take her seriously.
"Naneth," Elarinya began carefully, aware of her lisp and wanting to avoid the inevitable cooing. "What are we doing today?"
"Well, little one, I thought we might visit my workplace." Her mother mused, eyes twinkling.
Elarinya's head shot up, surprised. She'd been asking to visit her mother's special workplace ever since she learned about it, only to be rebuffed every time. If she could sneak a look into the prophetic waters Ithil…
Perhaps she wouldn't have to lie to her parents after all.
Her naneth was a powerful seer, and the tool of her craft was special water from her birthplace Aman. Through it Melian could see visions of the past, present and future. She also had dreams, though those were always visions of doom.
Lúthien's fate came to their mother through a dream.
As had Morgoth's plan to invade Doriath.
Elarinya dearly hoped she hadn't inherited that part of her mother's power, because knowing the future and being unable to stop it seemed very inconvenient. Yet she needed the excuse, needed to try.
Her father listened to her mother's visions, and trusted in her power. If she could make her mother see the Doom waiting for them, or if she could take a look for herself, then she could make her father listen to her.
"Truly?" She asked, widening her purple eyes in a look she'd long perfected.
Her mother visibly melted, "Truly. You are old enough for your first look in the waters of Ithil."
Waters of the moon. A poetic name, one that only made her even more curious.
Together they walked towards her mother's private scrying place, cheerfully greeting every elf they came across as they walked through the castle of Menegroth to the hill overlooking the forest they liked to dance and practice her Song in.
"My dear lady-in-waiting, Lothiriel, is expecting her first child." Melian said quietly, as if sharing a great secret. "I'll look into the waters and ask for guidance in her name."
Lothiriel was her mother's best friend, and almost like an aunt to Elarinya. Her mother had three ladies-in-waiting but Lothoriel was her favorite. She was as stately as her mother, but with a sense of humor that delighted both mother and daughter.
"Okay!" She chirped happily, ignoring the soft looks that a passing elleth and her wife shot her.
There weren't many children in Doriath. Only two other elflings had been born in the last hundred years, of which Elarinya was the youngest. Though with Lothiriel pregnant, that would soon change.
Rich in life, but poor in children. Such was the fate of the Eldar.
Together they climbed up the hill, to a little tiled clearing with in the middle a beautifully carved basin out of stonework. The whole place looked straight out of a fairytale with its delicately carved benches, full with blooming flowers and wildlife in the form of little birds, bees and even a peacefully sleeping doe.
"Welcome, little star," Her mother declared, "to my domain."
Elarinya blinked, mesmerized.
"Nana," She breathed. "It's beautiful!"
Melian grinned, her joy transforming her regal face into something otherworldly. "Your father created this little sanctuary for me as a wedding gift. Built with his own two hands, to show his love for his new bride."
"Ada is so sweet!" She chirped, wishing he was here to hear her words. He always pulled such interesting faces whenever she complimented him.
"He can be." Naneth agreed, smiling. Then she winked, and added, "When he listens to us."
Elarinya nodded sagely, lips twitching. "Adar can be stubborn."
"Yes," Her mother laughed, reaching out to pat her silver locks. "And so can you, little star."
El huffed, faux-offended. She knew she was stubborn, but that didn't mean she liked it being used against her. But such was the life of a precocious child. "So can muinthel!"
Lúthien might actually be the most stubborn of them all.
"Yes, Lúthien certainly is her father's daughter. Now," Naneth continued, tone serious. "I'll look first. I need you to stay here, Elarinya. And after I'm done, if you are a good little elfling, I'll even let you take a look yourself."
"I promise!"
Her mother gracefully walked over to the basin, skirts swishing in the gentle breeze. El followed her, almost clinging to her skirts as she took in the serious atmosphere. Scrying was not for children, and knowing the future was serious business.
Her mother reached out to the silvery water, almost quick-silver in its color. With one finger she caressed the water, creating subtle ripples.
Her purple eyes fixed on the water and power rose in the air, making Elarinya lean closer to her mother.
"Ah," Melian breathed when she came out of the vision. "How wonderful."
"What did you see?" Elarinya asked, breathless.
Her mother smiled, a serene little thing. "A sweet daughter for my dear friend. And a true companion for you, my love."
"Really?" She sounded skeptical, but she couldn't help it. El had no friends in this life. She was too young or too high-ranked for the other elves to want to play with, and she didn't really care.
She'd rather stay and learn from her parents anyway.
"Yes, really." Naneth said, beckoning her to her. "Come closer, daughter. I'll guide you."
Elarinya looked down and her breath hitched.
In the distance she faintly heard her mother's calming words, telling her what to do. She looked down into the mirror-like basin, into the silvery water, watching as eddies circled just beneath the surface. Transfixed, Elarinya gaped as images started appearing.
First she saw the breathtakingly beautiful but malevolent shining jewel that was the Silmaril.
She saw her father, torn down in a horrific battle against the dwarrow of Belegost.
She saw her mother, wasting away in her grief.
She saw her sister, old, gray and withering away.
She saw her home, Beleriand, sinking down into the deep waters of the ocean.
Then the images changed, like the first rays of sunshine shining down on the water, bathing it in a gentle golden light of hope.
She saw herself, fighting back to back with an unfamiliar golden-haired ellon.
She saw her parents, together on a ship, peaceful and content as they sailed towards Valinor.
Elarinya saw herself on the throne of Doriath, the same golden-haired ellon sitting next to her.
It was dizzying. It was breathtaking. She was drowning in the visions being imprinted into her mind like a tsunami full of violence and hope.
Gasping for breath, she tore her eyes away from the silvery waters and met her mother's worried gaze.
And burst out in tears.
oOo
"By the Valar!" Melian exclaimed and Elarinya was swept up in her mother's arms. The girl couldn't help but to cling tightly to her mother as the horrific images burned into her mind, flashing by as if on repeat. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"
"Nana, nana, nana." She chanted into her mother's shoulder, cringing. "It hurts, make it stop!"
Her mother hushed her, murmuring comforting words as she gathered her skirts and started running. Elarinya's young but strong fëa was flaring in distress, seeking the calm and comfort of the woman who'd borne her.
"Shh, little star." Melian soothed, pace steady but quick. "Deep breaths, my love. Fortify your mind as we taught you, think about the gentle warmth of the sun on your skin, the soothing coolness of the river. Elarinya, think about how the grass feels beneath your feet and the wind in your hair. Think about that and push the vision away."
She sniffed, overwhelmed.
Melian lips pressed together and determination filled her gaze. She flared her own fëa, wrapping it around her daughter like she hadn't done since her precious elfling left the protective cradle of her body.
"Get my husband to the Healing Halls!" Her mother called to a passing guard, not slowing her stride as she moved determinedly towards the Halls of Healing. The guard nodded curtly, warrior-braids flying as she turned around and started running.
The crystals along the walls flickered ominously, but El didn't care. She'd closed her eyes and focused all her attention on securing her mind.
Never had it been this hard to calm her churning mind. Elves had a natural connection to nature, and normally it was quite easy to focus on her favorite sensations. But not this time.
"Healer Galion!" Her mother called, voice calm but demanding.
A familiar ellon came scurrying from behind a sheet, green eyes widening when he took in the scene. "My queen, lay her on the bed by the window. Quickly now."
Healer Galion had been the head of the Healing Halls since long before Elarinya had been born, and was the personal healer of the royal family and her sometimes tutor in the healing arts. He was calm, serious and patient and El adored his lessons.
But she couldn't greet him now, couldn't even smile. All she saw was the body of her ada, a bloody and gruesome hole in his broad chest and eyes staring sightlessly up. Dead. "Ada, I want ada!"
"Ada's coming, Meleth nîn." Melian soothed, shooting a worried look towards Healer Galion. "She looked into the waters, healer."
Healer Galion nodded, understanding quickly dawning. "Lay her down, my queen. I shall take a look."
Her mother quickly obeyed the healer, gently laying Elarinya on the soft healing bed and tried to move away so the healer could take a look. But El didn't want to let go of her mother.
She clung stubbornly to her mother's dress, whimpering pathetically. "Nana, please."
Melian conceded immediately, eyes dark with worry. She sat down on the bed, cradling Elarinya in her lap. The healer nodded in approval, and approached to start his examination.
"Her fëa is in upheaval." The healer murmured, brows furrowing. "It's good that you were there, my queen. The princess will need both you and the king here. Though thankfully, there is nothing physically wrong with Princess Elarinya. Let her bask in your fëa and she should recover swiftly."
As if he'd heard the healer's conclusion, her father came storming into the halls of healing, worry clear on his face. "Melian! Meleth nîn, what happened?"
Her giant of a father knelt next to her bed, hand smoothing down her hair. She leant into his hand and the comforting feel of her parent's fëa.
"She looked into the waters of Ithil." Her mother sighed, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her forehead. Elarinya relaxed, feeling the upcoming migraine fade away at the action. "She saw something."
Thingol frowned, pale gray eyes darkening. "What could an elfling as young as our daughter see that caused this strong of a reaction?"
"Our Doom." The whispered out words echoed ominously in the light and airy room, leaving a hair-raising silence in their wake. "The Doom of Doriath."
Her mother closed her eyes, paling. Her father stiffened, eyes scanning her face as if hoping this was all a joke. But it wasn't a joke, not at all. She'd just seen the fall of everything she cared about, and she would never be able to rid herself from those horrific images for as long as she lived.
"Tell me, Elarinya." He then ordered gently, eyes soft and worried. "Tell me what the Valar showed you and I shall listen."
Elarinya met her father's serious gaze and opened her mouth.
And spoke.
A/N: Let me know your thoughts?
Translations:
Sindarin:
Elleth/ellith= female elf
Ellon= male elf
Ithil= moon
Lothiriel= flower
Muinthel= sister
Ada/adar= daddy/dad
Nana/Naneth= mommy/mom
Meleth nîn= my love