14. Contingency
…
- At Rivendell –
A new day graced the house of Elrond.
The sun was shining brightly as the elves of Imladris were immersed in their routine endeavors.
Thranduil had fulfilled most of his diplomatic and watch duties earlier that morning so he could attend the follow-up council meeting with enough time to spare and a clear mind to deliberate.
Following Elrond's instructions, he walked towards a different section of the manor and opened the door to a war room of sorts.
There was a round table at the center of the room, which had been designed to facilitate a dialogue among a smaller group of individuals.
The king arrived at the meeting site several minutes earlier; however, the other Elven rulers were already there at the time. It seemed like they were just as eager to discuss their current stance in the war against Loitar and determine their next steps moving forward.
All of them stood up from their chairs when the Lord of Mirkwood walked into the room.
"Quel amrum (Good morning), King Thranduil. Good for you to join us. Please, take a seat." Elrond stated in a polite manner.
"Suilad (Greetings), Lord Elrond. To you as well, Lady Galadriel, Lord Celeborn." Thranduil greeted his peers in the same courteous manner, and all of them proceeded to sit at the table.
"Weren't the wizards supposed to attend this meeting as well?" Thranduil asked, noticing the absence of the Maiar amongst them.
"Yes, that was the original intent, but they are currently holding their own summit at Isengard. They opted to host a separate gathering to better assess Loitar's magic and determine effective ways to counter it." Elrond explained. "A servant of Sauron commanding a force of such magnitude is unprecedented. Thus, the matter holds a great deal of importance for them. I believe even Radagast the Brown was summoned to the gathering. That goes to show how serious they are about this threat." The Lord of Rivendell remarked.
"Perhaps it is more appropriate that way." Celeborn stated. "The enemy presently threatening us is an elf who got corrupted as a result of his own trauma and the evil forces at play. Similarly, the one individual making a stand against such an enemy is also an elf who is presiding as the sole ruler of a realm, which was just revealed to us. That fact alone makes this matter a conflict amongst the elves, for the most part. Thus, the duty of protecting Middle-earth will fall mainly upon us." He remarked.
Galadriel nodded at her husband in agreement.
"I concur with that, Lord Celeborn." Elrond stated. "I have a question for all of you that concerns the elf-warlock's schemes to some degree. Have there been any sights of orcs in your realms recently?" He asked.
"We have not seen or sensed any orcs venturing close to the Lothlórien borders in a long time." Galadriel pointed out.
"Likewise. There have not been any orc sights in Mirkwood since the Battle of the Five Armies. Even the great spider infestations have been scarce as of late." Thranduil stated.
"Just like I suspected." Elrond remarked in a thoughtful manner as he folded his arms. "We have not seen any orcs trespassing the lands of Imaldris, either. Thus, I am inclined to believe that Sauron temporarily retreated his minions so Loitar could take the lead with his. Perhaps the Dark Lord is gaining strength and gathering his forces in the East, while the elf-warlock is presently unleashing his war here in the West?" He explained.
"That would certainly explain why Loitar's minions are the ones currently retaliating against us, and not Sauron's." Celeborn pointed out.
"Yes. The Dark Lord must have deliberately given him all that power with that purpose in mind." Elrond stated. "Moreover, the outcome also suggests that Saruman failed to subdue the Dark Lord's presence in the East, which has given Loitar a great advantage in this regard." He remarked.
Thranduil clasped his hands on the table as he pondered his thoughts on the matter.
"All of these conjectures are well-founded. However, we cannot assess the full extent of Loitar's power without discussing the one Elven ruler who has been holding his minions at bay for centuries. I am speaking about the Red Queen, respectively." Galadriel interjected with her reflective voice.
Thranduil's attention peaked further at the mention of the Lady of Fire.
"You are correct, Lady Galadriel." Elrond stated, nodding at his mother-in-law. "Speaking about the Red Queen, I believe this is an appropriate time to inform you about this correspondence." The Lord of Rivendell remarked as he placed a letter at the center of the table.
The letter contained the seal of the Gray Havens at the bottom of the page, which was quite familiar to all of them at that point.
"Is that a letter from Lord Círdan?" Celeborn inquired, wishing to confirm the notion.
"Yes, it is." Elrond responded. "This letter was delivered to us yesterday by Lord Galdor, his chief messenger. You might remember him from some of our previous gatherings." He explained. "As you all know, Lord Círdan couldn't attend our hearing with Queen Reiya because he is currently supervising several ship construction projects at the Havens. However, he still wished to have a say on the matter, it seemed." Elrond pointed out.
Galadriel contemplated the letter with interest, while Thranduil and Celeborn seemed visibly surprised by the statement.
"Have Lord Círdan and the Red Queen met before?" Celeborn asked.
"According to his recollections on this letter, yes, they have." Elrond confirmed. "It seems like Queen Reiya helped defend one of Lord Círdan's traveling parties from a pack of Loitar's monsters at one point." He explained.
Thranduil raised an eyebrow at the revelation.
"Even though her identity was concealed at the time, the elves on site praised her for the deed and invited her to visit the Gray Havens as a guest of honor. Word says that she accepted the invitation and ventured to the port city multiple times. Thus, she got the opportunity to speak with Lord Círdan directly and revealed her true identity to them, eventually." Elrond stated.
Thranduil widened his eyes slightly in realization.
So that's how Reiya and Galdor had crossed paths...
The ellon was Lord Círdan's chief messenger after all, so he must've had plenty of opportunities to interact with the queen at the Gray Havens. Hence, he developed an attraction for her at that time, most likely.
Thranduil discreetly chuckled to himself as he pondered the ridiculous notion. Galdor was clearly delusional if he believed he had a chance with an elleth like her.
An inexplicable wave of annoyance ran through the king's mind as he contemplated the possibility; however, he shifted his attention back to the ongoing conversation when his peers resumed making questions.
"Why didn't Lady Reiya mention this at the hearing? An revelation of such weight would have put some things into perspective, surely?" Celeborn asked.
"That is a good question, Lord Celeborn." Elrond remarked. "Per this letter, Lord Círdan himself was the one who requested the Red Queen not to talk about her stay at the Havens, so all of us would remain unbiased at the hearing. Moreover, he also declared his full support for the Lady of Fire and her efforts to defeat Loitar." He remarked.
"I see… That is intriguing." Celeborn responded in a contemplative manner.
"It certainly is, my lord." Elrond corroborated. "In any case, we already know where Lord Círdan stands on this matter. Now it is our time to weigh our own impressions and decide how to best move forward throughout the course of the war." Elrond pointed out.
The discussion then shifted towards the subject of Reiya and the Xandorian realm, as all of them began sharing their thoughts.
"Xandor was founded at a time when a group of elves first awakened in the Land of the Sun. Therefore, that realm is much older than all of ours here in Middle-earth." Elrond remarked.
"The Xandorian realm may be an ancient one, but Lady Reiya is fairly young to be a ruler. Perhaps her reign doesn't extend beyond one or two millennia, I presume?" Celeborn pointed out.
"And yet, that young elf-queen restored a fallen kingdom, and she has been fighting a formidable enemy for centuries all on her own. Additionally, she came to warn us about such an adversary without asking for any protections or alliances in return." Galadriel remarked. "It certainly takes a strong sense of duty and character for any leader to carry such a burden, no matter their age. Thus, if you were to ask me what I think in that regard, I'd say that Lady Reiya is a highly seasoned and competent ruler, given the circumstances." She remarked.
The elf-lords looked at the table for a brief moment as they pondered Galadriel's words. She used a firm tone when getting her argument across; however, the Lady of Lórien did have a point, as expected.
"The Blue Wizards have done a remarkable job educating the queen about our histories and helping shape her character as a ruler. Perhaps it is also our duty to serve as mentors for those who will follow in our footsteps?" Elrond pointed out, remembering his conversation with Reiya at the main library.
Galadriel nodded at her son-in-law approvingly.
Thranduil, on the other hand, remained silent as he contemplated thoughts of his own.
He wished to know the other Elven rulers' impressions more in depth before making any comments on the subject. However, Galadriel raised an eyebrow at him as she realized the king had yet to speak.
Elrond and Celeborn made a brief pause in their deliberations to consider other factors that could impact their prospective decisions. Thus, the Lady of Lórien took advantage of that moment and interjected before the two of them got a chance to continue.
"King Thranduil is the one ruler amongst us who has witnessed the Lady of Fire's capabilities the most." Galadrial pointed out. "Hence, the Elvenking's counsel is the one that we should outweigh before reaching a decision." She stated while smiling lightly at the Lord of Mirkwood.
Thranduil shifted his attention to Galadriel when she put him in the spotlight all of a sudden. He raised an eyebrow at her, then looked at the other two elf-lords as they awaited their input on the matter.
"Lady Galadriel's remark is a reasonable one, King Thranduil. What are your thoughts on the Red Queen, and how do you believe we should move forward?" Celeborn inquired, encouraging the king to speak.
Thranduil looked at the table for a few seconds, then directed his attention to his peers, as the time to voice his conclusions had finally come.
"I have pondered points of convenience regarding the Red Queen's potential for supporting our cause, but they are not without some concerns." The king explained.
"Understood. Which concerns do you speak of?" Celeborn inquired.
"I am inclined to believe that Lady Reiya did not disclose everything there is to know about her Krisha power." Thranduil pointed out in a serious manner.
"With all due respect, wasn't that expected somehow, your majesty?" Elrond remarked. "We were just mere strangers to the queen a couple of days ago. We still are, in many ways. Consequently, I did not foresee her sharing everything in that regard?" He pointed out.
"I agree with Lord Elrond." Galadriel stated. "The queen's power bears a level of complexity that makes it quite distinct from other magic abilities. Perhaps she assumed we were not yet ready to learn the full extent of hers?" The Lady of Light remarked.
"You are both correct." Thranduil concurred. "Nevertheless, those assumptions do not make the matter any less concerning." He argued. "The Blue Wizards claimed that your power and the Red Queen's have similar origins and scopes, Lady Galadriel. However, when risk factors are considered, I believe the two of you couldn't be any more different from one another." He remarked.
Galadriel pondered Thranduil's words, wondering what he had meant by them.
"How so, your majesty?" Celeborn asked, also wishing to have more clarification on that point.
"Lady Galadriel wields a ring that helps channel her power and keep it at bay when needed. She's also had plenty of experience learning how to control a power of such magnitude and hold it back to ensure the safety of those around her. Lady Reiya's power, however, is directly tied to her mind and her instincts, without any magic devices to manage such a force or restrict it if the need arises. There are several implications to that." Thranduil stated in an objective manner.
All of them pondered the king's predicament as he continued to speak.
"Every great power comes with risks of some nature—a sort of compromise or setback, you might say. You ring-bearers know quite well what I speak of." Thranduil remarked, looking at Elrond and Galadriel attentively, as they shifted their gazes to the table.
The king had made a fair point.
The magic rings gifted to them had helped slow the decay of time and protect their Elven settlements against all sorts of threats and enemies. Nevertheless, those rings would always be susceptible to the power of Sauron, regardless of their desire to use them for good.
Thranduil's expression changed slightly from that moment on, however.
"Nonetheless... Despite all the potential repercussions linked to the queen's abilities, we need her. Or, to be more specific, we need her intelligence." He emphasized.
Celeborn and Elrond looked at the Elvenking with a surprised expression, while Galadriel smiled at him approvingly, following his remark.
"Loitar's minions are quite distinct from orcs, goblins, great spiders, or any of the other malevolent creatures that we have faced up until this moment." Thranduil pointed out. "Those beasts have specific vital points that should be struck for them to be permanently eliminated. Otherwise, they will keep coming back up or not fall at all, in some cases." He explained. "Queen Reiya's company was more efficient than my own in taking those Leapers down at Mirkwood, not due to a difference in skill at arms but rather a disparity in prior knowledge."
"Prior knowledge in what sense?" Celeborn asked.
"The Xandorian elves knew what the Leapers's weaknesses were to begin with, and thus, they targeted those vital points from the start. If my combatants and I had acquired that knowledge prior to the attack, the loss of life could have been prevented that night, or diminished, at the very least." Thranduil reasoned. "I could pose a similar argument for the attack here at Imladris. I was able to take some of those Camalans down because I observed the specific vital points that Lady Reiya was targeting in those beasts. Once I learned what those spots were by watching her, I was able to dispose of them without much difficulty." He concluded.
"That is a critical aspect that we had overlooked, King Thranduil. We appreciate you sharing this valuable information with us. It puts several factors into perspective." Elrond stated in an approving manner.
"Indeed. It seems like the inclusion of Queen Reiya in this rising conflict is no longer a matter of choice but rather one of need and urgency, considering the stakes that stand against us." Celeborn pointed out.
"That is in fact the case, Lord Celeborn." Thranduil concurred. "If we are to contemplate any chance of victory in this war, no matter how small, the queen's intel will be crucial. Furthermore, her Krisha power might also provide advantages on the battlefield, in spite of the risks linked to it." He stated.
Galadriel nodded at the king's statement.
Even in the midst of their past differences, Thranduil had been highly acclaimed for his prolific combat prowess and knack for military strategy, especially when he put those forth in the service of the greater good.
Such aptitudes definitely shined through whenever the king offered counsel on subjects linked to his areas of expertise. Moreover, his points had proven to be highly insightful at that particular moment.
The Lady of Light directed her focus to the ongoing discussion as Elrond proceeded to speak.
"Very well. It looks like we all stand in agreement regarding the significance of the Red Queen's involvement in our collective fight against this evil. The task now lies in deciding what sort of role she could fulfill throughout the war and determining what we should do from this point on." Elrond pointed out.
All of them pondered their thoughts for a brief moment before the king interjected once again.
"My lords and lady, if I may..." Thranduil addressed his peers as they shifted their attention to him. "I have a proposition in mind that might help us fulfill that aim in particular." He remarked in an objective manner.
And so, the king proceeded to share the plan that he had come up with following his observations from the previous day.
...
A/N: The time to speak with the Lady of Fire has come!
Dear readers, the long-awaited moment is finally underway! He is ready for her now ;)
What was the Elvenking's proposition about, and what will he say to the Red Queen when they speak? Time to find out!