2. The Elven Scroll
…
A week passed since Thranduil led the eradication mission in the forest and crossed paths with the mysterious elleth.
The memorial ceremony honoring those who fell on the mission had been the king's first priority, as expected. However, he was finally able to gather all the reports from the incident soon after the somber gathering took place.
The most important witness of the night was Tauriel, without question. After all, she got to observe the masked elleth's abilities more closely and had some sort of exchange with her prior to his arrival at the attack site. In order to look further into the matter, Thranduil summoned the captain for a debrief meeting at the war council room.
The Elvenking was wearing his red velvet robe and had his sword strapped to the waist, as it was customary. He went over Tauriel's official report, then proceeded to ask further questions about her encounter with the masked elleth.
"She had already performed two fire spells by the time I arrived then..." Thranduil reconfirmed.
"Yes, my lord. She chanted all her spells in ancient Elvish, as far as I recall." Tauriel pointed out.
"That fact remains consistent enough. She also spoke Quenya when she cast the fire barrier in my presence." The king corroborated. "She said something to you prior to my arrival, didn't she?"
Tauriel was slightly taken aback by the question, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by the king.
"Um… Yes, my lord." She answered in a hesitant manner.
Thranduil raised an eyebrow at the captain's odd response. She seemed slightly restless about her encounter with the mysterious elleth for some reason.
"Very well… What was it?" He inquired, trying to get to the bottom of it.
Tauriel sighed before resigning herself to speak. "The elleth said she couldn't reveal their identity just yet; but she explicitly stated… that I am one ofthem, sire." She remarked.
The king's expression turned to one of confusion following the revelation.
"However, I have no idea who they are or what she was talking about in particular, my lord." Tauriel clarified.
Thranduil's gaze softened slightly as he was now able to understand why his captain seemed hesitant to speak further about the matter.
Tauriel did not recall much of her life prior to her parents' passing. She was both an orphan and a very young elfing at the time he found her wondering alone in the forest. The Mirkwood scouts had informed him that an orc attack had taken place a few days prior. However, he was not present at her parents' camp settlement when tragedy stroke and the circumstances surrounding the incident remained obscure until the present day. Consequently, her past had been shrouded in mystery.
If the masked elleth's words were true to any extent, then some aspects of Tauriel's past were likely to unfold. Understandably, the thought was casting a shadow of doubt in the captain's mind.
In any case, Thranduil was not keen on believing the fire-wielder's claims to be true just yet, given that they still did not know who she was or what her motives were to begin with. Thus, he remained skeptical.
"There is more, my lord." Tauriel remarked, getting the king's full attention once again.
She took a scroll out of one of her pockets and handed it to Thranduil.
"She gave me this. She said it would lead me to the truth, even though I am not entirely sure what she meant by that, as well."
He carefully took the scroll from her hands and eyed the parcel for a few seconds.
"It is still closed..." The Elvenking pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. I was waiting for the right time to open it, my lord. The contents might give us more insight into the mysterious elleth, so I thought it would be more appropriate to inspect the document at one of our debrief meetings." Tauriel remarked.
"Understood. That was a good call, captain." Thranduil corroborated.
He proceeded to open the scroll with tact, and his expression turned to one of wonder as he first inspected the contents of it.
The king placed the open parchment at the center of the table so Tauriel could have a better look. The scroll did not contain any text, but there was a rare Elven insignia displayed on it. Moreover, the crest resembled the shape of a sun.
"I do not think I have ever seen this emblem before, my lord." Tauriel remarked with a confused expression.
He was not surprised by her comment, considering that Tauriel was only six hundred years old—a fairly young age in Elven years. However, he had been around since the First Age and seen all sorts of historic emblems throughout his long life.
He did not recognize the symbol entirely, but something about it looked somewhat familiar.
"This is ancient… Very ancient. Probably a symbol of Quenyan origins." Thranduil stated. "I believe I might have seen similar iconography in transcriptions from the Eastern lands, but I am not entirely sure."
"Do you believe the scroll has magical properties, sire?" Tauriel asked, turning her attention towards the king.
"There is only one way to find out." He responded.
Thranduil was never keen on seeking counsel outside of his realm; however, the situation at hand required special measures. In order for him to get answers, he would have to involvethem.
"Tauriel, summon one of the royal messengers to my study in an hour. I will send word to Lord Elrond in order to request a meeting with the White Council. They might be able to provide more information about the scroll and its significance." The king instructed.
"Yes, my lord!" Tauriel responded.
"In the meantime, I will gather a company for the expedition to Imladris. You will join us as well." He remarked. "The masked elleth gave this scroll to you personally. Thus, it is only appropriate that you keep holding on to it and partake in the meeting with the White Council. We will be on our way as soon as we hear back from Lord Elrond, assuming that he will authorize the meeting in the first place." Thranduil stated, folding the parchment and giving it back to Tauriel.
She took the scroll from him and nodded in understanding.
"Those are my orders for the time being, captain. Get to it!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Tauriel left the war council room to get back to her duties right away. Her expression morphed into a smile, and her eyes glinted with excitement at the chance to travel.
The king had set strict departure rules in the realm after the Battle of the Five Armies, so it had been ages since she got to venture past their patrol routes. Hence, if Elrond agreed to host the council meeting, she would get a chance to see Rivendell and meet the other Elven rulers in person for the very first time in her life.
Tauriel was still on edge about the masked elleth's words, but she was looking forward to the journey ahead, as it would provide a much-needed distraction from the shadows of doubt roaming in her mind.
...
- A few weeks later, at Rivendell -
Elrond was sitting at his desk while holding a letter from the Woodland Realm delivered by one of the Elvenking's royal messengers. He read the contents of the parchment one more time, before proceeding to speak with Galadriel, Celeborn, and Gandalf viaósanwe; the ability to communicate through minds.
'Lady Galadriel, Lord Celeborn, and Master Gandalf… I apologize, as I know the hour is late, but I'm afraid there is a situation that seems somewhat urgent. King Thranduil is requesting a meeting with the White Council. Mirkwood was attacked, and other events took place, which he would rather discuss in person.' He remarked.
'Thranduil seeking counsel? That is quite unusual for the Elvenking.' Gandalf stated, sounding slightly surprised by the news.
'The king's path has been shifting since the Battle of the Five Armies, Mithrandir. His call for a council meeting might seem unexpected, but the timing, not so much. I have sensed a growing evil in the shadows as of late.' Galadriel responded in her reflective voice.
Elrond and Celeborn were not entirely sure what she meant by the first part of her statement. However, they did corroborate her remarks on a faceless evil that seemed to be on the rise.
'I have sensed it as well. A dark presence is approaching.' Celeborn stated. 'The fact that the Elvenking is the one requesting the summoning goes to show how dangerous this faceless threat might turn out to be.'
'I agree, Lord Celeborn. We should attend to this matter at once. Could you all make your way to Imladris at this time?' Elrond inquired.
'Yes, that should be possible.' Gandalf responded.
'Indeed.' Galadriel followed suit.
'Very well. I will issue my confirmation to King Thranduil tomorrow and begin preparations accordingly.' Elrond concluded.
…
Thranduil and his company departed for Rivendell shortly after Elrond's response was delivered, and several weeks went by in the blink of an eye. The king was riding his great elk at the front of the party, while Tauriel and the others followed behind with their horses.
Elrond welcomed them personally at the time of their arrival, and they settled in until the day for the council meeting had finally come.
Thranduil was wearing a blue velvet robe over his silver tunic and a matching circlet with a sapphire on his forehead. He had restrained himself from using his traditional crown out of respect for Elrond, as he was the lord presiding over Imladris, not himself.
Even though the other Elven rulers did not concern themselves with certain royal costumes as much as he did, Thranduil still made sure to pay his respects to them in his own way. They'd had their occasional differences of opinion on certain matters; however, they had successfully maintained fair diplomatic relationships between the Elven realms and everybody was always cordial whenever they were in need of collaboration.
The council attendees were presently at one of Rivendell's outdoor halls as their meeting followed the course.
Tauriel placed the scroll at the center table while Thranduil recapped the events that took place at Mirkwood. Everybody was standing close by and listening to him attentively.
"So this masked elleth that you speak of was able to materialize fire at will?" Celeborn inquired with an intrigued expression.
"Yes." The king reconfirmed. "I am aware that the ability to bend the elements is not uncommon amongst yourselves, ring-bearers and wizards. However, the elleth in question was able to perform fire spells without the assistance of a ring of power or any other magical objects, for that matter. I have never seen anything quite like it." He stated as he folded his arms across his back and continued pacing around them.
Tauriel was quietly listening to the Elven rulers discussing the matter at hand, while Galadriel was looking at the scroll attentively.
"I was able to find illustrations similar to that sun emblem in some of our historic manuscripts." Elrond pointed out, placing a few documents close to the scroll on the table. "It appears that the insignia is a sigil of sorts linked to the Far East. However, I did not find any records of Elven factions bearing that crest in particular." Elrond noted with a puzzled look.
'Hm... That emblem is, in fact, linked to the Eastern lands, then. I figured as much…' Thranduil thought, realizing that some of his initial assumptions had been correct.
One of the manuscripts at the table caught the Elvenking's attention. He stood close to it and stared at the parchment for a brief moment.
The manuscript contained the same sun emblem as the one in the scroll, but there was also a pictogram and a line of text below it.
The pictogram appeared to be a primitive drawing of a faceless, hooded figure with some sort of blaze coming out of its hands. Tauriel stepped forward, looking at the image with some degree of interest.
"My lord, the attire on that figure resembles the one wore by the masked elleth that night, doesn't it?" Tauriel asked inquisitively.
"Yes, it does." Thranduil responded, looking at the pictogram for a few more seconds before shifting his attention to the line of text below.
"Aista nár." Celeborn read the text out loud as he stood beside the king. "That is Quenya for 'sacred flame'." He pointed out.
"Hm… It seems like the power wielded by that elleth might have ancient origins." Gandalf pointed out as he leaned on his staff.
"My lords… Captain Tauriel… Apologies for the sudden interruption, but could you please remove all the manuscripts brought by Lord Elrond from the table, and step back for a moment?" Galadriel inquired as her eyes were still fixated on the scroll.
The others looked at her in confusion, but ultimately did as she asked.
Galadriel's long white dress floated behind her in a graceful manner as she walked forward.
The Lady of Lórien stood in front of the center table, then proceeded to voice her thoughts.
"This scroll is emanating some sort of energy. I sensed it as soon as King Thranduil and his company arrived at Imladris, but none of you did for some reason." Galadriel pointed out.
Thranduil went on alert, and the others stepped back looking at the scroll with some caution.
"Do not fear. The energy coming out of the scroll is not evil. I already made sure to test that by several means." Galadriel reassured them calmly.
Tauriel looked at the Lady of Light in surprise, wondering how she was able to do that in the first place.
"I believe I should be able to extract more information from the scroll if I tap into that energy. Please step further back." Galadriel requested, and the others followed suit.
She positioned her hand over the scroll and closed her eyes. In that moment, the sun emblem on the scroll glowed, and she started having visions. Everybody in the hall was looking at her with a startled expression.
Galadriel opened her eyes after a few seconds, recalling some of the things she had seen.
"Winds from the East... A wielder of flames… A dominion, once shattered, now reformed… The blue darkness-slayers, guiders… A corrupted servant… Beasts from the abyss… That is as far as my sight could reach." Galadriel stated, moving her hand back to her side in a delicate manner.
Tauriel seemed confused by her words. However, Gandalf and the rest of the Elven lords proceeded to make conjectures of their own, as they were more used to discussing Galadriel's cryptic visions.
"We could assume that the 'wielder of flames' is the mysterious masked elleth that you've met?" Celeborn asked, redirecting his attention to Thranduil, who nodded in response.
"The phrase 'Winds from the East' might be pointing to a specific location. The faceless threat is probably coming from that direction, given that the emblem itself is linked to the Eastern lands." Elrond remarked with an inquisitive look as he looked at the scroll once again.
"Most likely." Thranduil corroborated. "The statement 'A dominion once shattered, now reformed' is an insightful one, as well. Perhaps a faction of elves rallying under the sun crest has re-emerged?" He speculated, folding his arms across his back once again as he resumed his pacing.
"That might be the case." Celeborn stated.
"One that note, the quote 'Beasts from the abyss' is probably making reference to the monsters that attacked Mirkwood. Other unknown evil creatures might be roaming Middle-earth as we speak." Elrond remarked, looking at Thranduil. The king nodded in agreement.
"And then, there is the 'corrupted servant'… The one being behind the attack most likely, but who could that be?" Gandalf inquired, submerged in his own thoughts.
"My lords… my lady… the scroll is still glowing."
Everybody looked back at the parchment in wonder, following Tauriel's notice.
'Lady Galadriel…' A female voice already familiar to the Elvenking and his captain echoed in the minds of everybody in the meeting hall.
All of them reacted in surprise and looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice.
"Did you all hear that?" Celeborn inquired, looking at the others.
They all nodded back.
'You already unsealed the magic scroll that I handed to Captain Tauriel, I see. Impressive.' The voice echoed in everyone's mind once again.
Tauriel's attention peaked at the mention of her name. "It is her. The mysterious elleth!" She whispered loud enough for everybody to listen.
"She is speaking to our thoughts from a location at distance, it seems." Elrond commented, looking around in a calm manner.
'She decided to reach out herself then. What is she up to now?' Thranduil thought, narrowing his gaze slightly.
The mysterious elleth proceeded to address the whole group.
'Members of the White Council and acquaintances, I am speaking through a spell that was triggered when Lady Galadriel tapped into the scroll. All of you can hear me, but only Lady Galadriel can speak back to me.' The elleth explained.
Thranduil raised an eyebrow at her remarks. What sort of covert magic was she performing at the time?
He shifted his attention back to the scene when Galadriel proceeded to engage with the mysterious elleth.
"Understood, elf-maiden. Would you be kind enough to provide your name?" Galadriel responded in a calm manner, encouraging her to speak further.
'Most certainly, my lady. My name is Reiya Urendir. I am a Sinda elf from distant lands and the one who intercepted the attack at Mirkwood, along with a group of elves that I command. As some of you have already witnessed, I possess a very…peculiarability.' She emphasized.
Thranduil pondered the elleth's words as he kept making speculations.
So she claimed to be a Sinda elf then... Intriguing. That would certainly help explain the rare nature of her power to some extent.
He continued listening to the exchange, as the unforeseen interaction between the two ellith unfolded.
"Mae lovannen (Well met), Lady Reiya. You have our attention." Galadriel responded, cordially acknowledging the elleth's self-introduction. "Could you share further information about your identity and the causes behind the attack at Mirkwood, if you may?" Galadriel inquired in a respectful manner.
'Yes, my lady. That is actually one of the reasons why I sought to establish contact with all of you in the first place. I had intended to warn you about the lurking menace. There is a dark force threatening to destroy Middle-earth at the present time, and the attack at Mirkwood was only but a small fraction of it.'
Elrond and Gandalf's faces grew slightly pale at Reiya's remark.
'There is much more that I need to tell you. However, I'm afraid this means of communication might not be the most suitable for the purpose of sharing the rest of the details more thoroughly. I have a suggestion, if you find it feasible, that is.'
Thranduil's attention peaked at her comment. He stopped walking to listen to the elleth more attentively.
"Very well. What is it that you'd like to suggest, Lady Reiya?" Galadriel inquired.
'I am aware that all of you are currently at Imladris, as I happen to be in close proximity myself.' She pointed out. 'I followed the traces of energy coming out of the scroll, and they led me here, as well.'
All of them were surprised by her comment, except for Galadriel. She had a feeling that Reiya was somewhere nearby as soon as she began speaking to her; however, she couldn't pinpoint her exact location for some reason.
Thranduil narrowed his gaze and looked at the lands surrounding the manor, wondering where exactly the mysterious elleth was hiding. He wouldn't be able to spot her with his Elven sight alone, considering how vast those lands were.
'I can grant you a hearing there tonight at the seventh hour. I usually travel with a company and keep my identity concealed when I am on the road due to the risks linked to my title and station. However, I will reveal my face and everything else shall be addressed when I stand in front of you.' Reiya explained.
Thranduil raised an eyebrow in wonder, making notice of the elleth's commanding and eloquent tone as she continued to speak.
'There is another alternative to my suggestion, of course. I can simply stand down and let you defend your lands as you see fit without my interference. If that is the case, you shall never see me again throughout the course of thiswar, while I defend my people and the rest of Middle-earth to the best of my abilities.' Reiya stated in an assertive manner.
"A war against whom?" Gandalf whispered to himself and those standing close to him.
Galadriel turned her face towards Elrond as he contemplated Reiya's suggestion.
Thranduil, on the other hand, narrowed his gaze while his expression remained cautious.
He had a feeling that Reiya was testing them somehow, even though he did not know what she was testingforexactly.
Moreover, he suspected that she held a position of the highest authority in her faction, judging from the way she was speaking to them alone. That elleth was clearly used to giving orders, and she did not fear voicing her thoughts in their presence. Something about that had annoyed him slightly.
'The decision is yours to make, my lords and lady. I shall accept the outcome, no matter what. However, time is of the essence. What say you?' She inquired.
The king chuckled lowly at her statement.
'A bit impatient, isn't she?'Thranduil thought as he was starting to get a sense of Reiya's personality. That was definitely a trait he could have bent in his favor, if he'd been the one speaking to her at that moment.
He directed his attention to Elrond and Galadriel, who seemed to be having an inner dialogue of their own. The two of them nodded to one another at one point, then Galadriel proceeded to speak out loud.
"Your request for a hearing will be granted, Lady Reiya. We will meet you tonight at the suggested time and you ought to follow our protocols accordingly." Galadriel confirmed.
'Understood, my lady. I will do my part as well." Reiya assured her. "Gratitude for your time. I shall see you all later then.' She concluded.
The scroll stopped glowing following her statement, and the unforeseen exchange was over.
Elrond proceeded to discuss the preparations for the hearing with Galadriel and Celeborn right after.
Tauriel, on the other hand, was pondering her own thoughts as she realized they would meet the mysterious elleth face-to-face that night. The words that Reiya spoke to her at the attack site kept playing in her head over and over. Thus, she hoped to learn the meaning behind such words soon enough.
"Lords Elrond and Celeborn, Lady Galadriel, a word of advice." Thranduil addressed his peers as he approached them. "I recommend that certain safety measures are put in place for the hearing tonight. That elleth…Reiya, as she introduced herself, is both a formidable warrior and spell master. We do not know the full extent of her power yet, or the reach of her enemies, for that matter. Thus, we should properly guard ourselves, given the current circumstances." He explained.
They considered Thranduil's suggestion, and nodded at one another in agreement.
"That sounds like a reasonable idea, King Thranduil. You shall take charge of the safety protocols planned for the night. Feel free to rely on Lindir and Haldir for any assistance you may need on our behalf. We'll take care of the rest." Elrond stated.
Thranduil nodded his head in acknowledgement.
The Elvenking then proceeded to walk to one of the indoor council rooms at the manor, followed closely behind by Tauriel.
'You had your hearing granted without revealing your role in all of this, but I am not so easily swayed. I will find out who you really are, Reiya.'Thranduil pondered, as he narrowed his gaze in growing anticipation.
…
A/N: The OC's name is officially revealed!
Reiya speaking her mind and showing some of that inner fire already. Thranduil is in for a ride with this one lol.
More puzzles to be uncovered in the next chapter!