Chapter 3 is in the works
In the meantime, please read when I have !drafted!
THIS IS NOT FINAL and by gods not edited at all!
Naniel's eyes fluttered open as he gently woke, the grass underneath cushioned him, caressing his form with a multitude of tiny blades. His arm had long since grown numb from the weight of his own head. He sat and yawned.
"I did not expect to fall asleep so easily," he said softly. Imladris had indeed been the Last Homely House, standing true to its title with cascading waterfalls, lush greenlands, and warm sun. The twittering melody of birdsong filled the empty garden, a few small finches resting on nearby branches, others playing and chasing each other around, swooping and twirling through the air. They had added light and movement to the still garden, the sun reflecting off their multicolored wings.
Truth be told, Naniel had not seen many staff around at all, nor any of the other guests. His eyes turned over the landscape as he thought, "Lord Elrond spoke true of the healing nature within his gardens. Now I can almost walk the whole path and no longer get quite as tired."
His eyes ran over the gold trimming of the book he had been reading, tracing the elvish title, feeling the grooves dip and bend. Another yawn took him, and he stretched back. His little "interrogations" with Lord Elrond had been regular throughout his month-long stay, each time taxing his strength less and less. His knees no longer buckled when he walked, and his head no longer swam with each step. Color had seeped back into his eyes, and with the special care of the Elvish Soaps, his hair was only a little less dirty, though the dirt seemed to be permanent.
Naniel's restriction within his guest room and garden had truly isolated him.
Lord Elrond had not said he was forbidden from exploring, but he had not said he was allowed to either. Other than Lord Elrond, there was the elf who helped him—who Naniel still hadn't figured out if they were a he or a she— but were the only two "beings" he had met. Although saying he 'met' them was a little generous; the elf never talked to him, and Lord Elrond had practically met Naniel before Naniel had met him.
He did not entirely mind; it was peaceful to have nothing else but his own thoughts throughout the day. No one else to please or talk to, no one to greet, no one's name to remember. It was refreshing, if a little boring.
He watched the clouds sail on the wind above him, imagining the grand cities that hid within. He brought himself back into the safety of his imagination, gazing at the sky, how long had it been since he had seen anything but the black clouds of Mordor.
A shadow fell over him, coupled with the soft crunch of boots. Naniel quickly sat up, staring into the tall face of an elf.
His eyes are younger, Naniel thought, so much younger than Lord Elrond's. His young eyes fit picturesquely underneath strong eyebrows, and next to a strong nose, and directly above a strong chin.
In fact, I think all of him is strong, Naniel thought, following the curve of the elf's clothes.
"Mae g'ovannen," the elf bowed slightly, his long black hair swinging as he cocked his head and gave Naniel the goofiest smile he had ever seen on an elf.
"Greetings," Naniel quickly stood, returning the small bow. "I apologize if I am in your way; I like to come here to read," Naniel said slowly.
"No, no. You are not in the way," the elf paused. "You are Naniel, correct? I am Elrohir, son of Elrond," he gave another short bow.
"Well met, Elrohir, son of Elrond. I am Aa- Naniel, son of… a man—it's not quite that important," Naniel rumbled, returning a painfully awkward bow.
"I wanted to introduce myself, I am the son of Lord-" Elrohir began,
"Well, rude!" another voice chimed from behind. Naniel whipped around as he came face to face with another identical elf. He gave another bow as he elbowed Elrohir in the side.
"I am Ellasan, son of Elrond, and brother to the ever-forgetful Elrohir."
"Brothers? Nay, You must be closer; you must be twins," Naniel chuckled, breaking into a wide smile.
"You are correct! Now if Father mentioned anything about us, you must remember that he is biased, and that we are not as destructive as he says," Elladan coached, a coy smile playing at his lips.
"He actually never mentioned that he had any children," Naniel said, returning the smile. A silence grew between them.
"My brother here was just about to invite you to stroll with us. Our Father fears that you will get dull with only this garden to explore. There are many others," Elrohir smiled.
"I would love that," Naniel said.
The three of them left the garden behind, Naniel fitting in between the twins, their conversations turning easy. The two elves led Naniel through a twisting maze of rooms and alcoves. They eventually found themselves among a great many flower beds.
This continued for many weeks, each day, the twins would show up and practically push Naniel to where they wanted to explore next.
"My sisters and I used to play a similar prank, but instead of horses in the Great Hall it was chicken in the meeting tent, we hid them." Naniel chuckled amiably with Elrohir.
"So, you mentioned before how you had a very large family, how many?" Elrohir asked as he and Naniel walked side by side. They were deep into the woods surrounding Imladris, where the rocks and stones were unkempt and only used by foot, not by horse.
"I was one of eleven," Naniel smiled softly. He usually tried to steer all conversations away from his family and life, but occasionally he would let something slip.
"Eleven!" Elrohir gasped, his face awed. "All by your mother?"
"Yes, she even had three before she met my father," Naniel smiled. It scared him, how open he felt around Elrohir, how much he wanted to trust the elf. You get the littlest of attention and suddenly you are fawning over him? He thought only a little peeved with himself.
"And what happened to them, or are they a part of the eleven?" Elrohir asked innocently. Naniel's smile faltered; he remembered the stories his mother told him vividly, the warnings she beat into him.
"Ah, no. They died, tragically," he said awkwardly.
"May I ask how?" Elrohir pressed on, and there were a few times like this where Naniel cursed the Elvish Curiosity. It had twice the will power than any human mind or sword.
"My father… well, it was a precaution in my tribe that when you took a new wife, if she had children, you must kill them." He explained cautiously.
"Kill them!" Elrohir stopped walking. "Why! Having many children is a blessing!"
"You must remember that I am human, my family was human," Naniel explained. "We are akin to rabbits, if the conditions are right."
"But killing a child!" Elrohir's face morphed into one of disgust. That was Naniels traditions he was disgusted by.
"You are not human, you do not understand!" He barked, too harshly. Elrohir looked shocked at his sudden anger.
"And neither are you completely, at least not anymore." Silence stretched between them. How much did Lord Elrond tell Elrohir, how much did he notice already. It was a low blow and Naniel saw a flickering of regret flash across Elrohir's eyes as they stared at each other.
"What do you know?" Naniel scoffed, turning away. Elrohir tighly gripped his arm, forcing him in place as he tried to walk away, tried to calm down.
"I know," Elrohir paused, "All I know is that we found you, on a beach, injured, wearing the enemies mark on you skin." He hissed, pulling Naniel closer. Naniels arm tingled. "You certainly do not look human at times. Why does Father give you all of these liberties if you are a part of the Dark Lord's forces, have you seduced our father?" The world stood still.
That hurt.
Betrayal gripped Naniels chest.
"No." He whispered, a lump forming in his throat. Elrohir let go of his arm, turning away. Naniel turned to see Elladan watching him, one hand on his sword.
This chapter hurt me.
I did have other plans for this chapter, maybe some more back story for Naniel, maybe some more hints about whats going on, but I really like where this chapter went so I might just stick with it!
But it should be done soon!-ish, maybe it is done now.