Here's the first chapter! This is another A.U. Story of Rings of Power. Once more it will be centered around the main character, Adar.
Enjoy :)
Pine Barrens, Cape May, New Jersey
February 11, 2025
Mia leaned back in her chair, her gaze shifting to the ceiling above her.
For some reason, she was still stuck on this one chapter in her book. The frustrating part was she wasn't even that far into it, only about four chapters in. It could have to do with the fact that she has been having a hard time concentrating as of late.
A part of he knew why that was. Seeing as it has been happening like clockwork during this time for the last couple years.
She closes her eyes with a sigh, trying to block it out of her memory. Even so, it still lingers at the back of her mind like a lingering parasite you cannot get rid of no matter how hard you try.
As she opens her light blue eyes, they shift to one of the nearest windows of her small office.
This part of her home faced the back where the woods were. Whereas the front of her house faced the beach overlooking the ocean.
The fenced in yard was bare and still had some remnants of a few patches of snow here and there. But for the most part, you can see the grass. The sky was for the most part, overcast and dreary as the winter dragged on.
Already, she was counting down the days to Spring at the end of the following month.
Though while she was not overly fond of this cold and frigid weather, she knew her furry companion loved it. Speaking of, he was currently nudging her left hand with his wet nose.
Mia looked down at him and gave him a soft smile as she was met with the bright icy blue eyes of her Alusky, otherwise known as an Alaskan Malamute/Husky mix.
Tundra looked back up at her expectantly and began to whimper.
"You want to go out is that it?" She asks him.
He tilted his head to the side and gave another whimper as if toy answer her question.
The young woman sighs, "Alright, alright. Let me just get my coat. After all, I don't have a natural furry coat on me like you do."
Once she stood up from her seat, her dog quickly stood up and began wagging his bushy tail. Though he nearly bumped his head on the bottom of her desk in doing so. Something she chuckled a little at.
"I don't think you're small enough to fit under there anymore. You have grown quite considerably within the last year and a half since you have been around." She told him.
Which was true, despite being only a year and a half old, Tundra was already quite large. Something the breeders that sold him to her told her could happen because Aluskies can inherit more of the Alaskan Malamute Tributes and grow to be quite large.
She had no problem with that. Seeing as she initially wanted a good size dog to begin with. Having a bigger dog around gave her a sense of comfort and safety. Especially, seeing as she does live alone.
"So, backyard or would you rather get your zoomies out running around the beach out front like the nut you are?" She teased as she looked down at him.
Being the smarty he was, Tundra left the room and went down the hall. He then entered the living room and stopped at the front door and sat down in front of it.
Mia grabbed her iPhone, before leaving the room. When she came walking out, she saw him sitting there expectantly in front of the front door. It was obvious what his choice was.
She walked over and grabbed her thick winter coat off of the hook of the small coat stand by the right side of the door and pulled it on, pocketing her phone in the process. Afterwards, she opened the door, and her dog wasted no time running out.
The young woman closed the door behind her and started walking down to the beach twenty-five yards ahead.
Mia walked across the patch of grass that separated her home from the sandy shore. Tundra has already darted ahead until he made it to the sand and started doing donuts in it not far from the water.
It was hard not to laugh whenever he would do this.
She was halfway convinced there were deep tracks that formed a large circle in the sand, that were made by him alone from him sprinting around in large circles. Hopefully, he doesn't get too close to the water again. She really didn't feel like having to dry him off, so he doesn't track water through the house.
At one point, he did stop to take a shit. But then this was usually around the time she would let him out to use the bathroom, besides just getting pent up energy out.
Thankfully, it wasn't too breezy out this evening, making the weather pretty mild.
Once she got to the beach and the grass gradually turned to sand, he came running over to her. Mia ran her hands over the black and white fur on top of his head. Then she stuck her hand in her coat pocket and pulled out a tennis ball.
When he saw this, he started wagging his tail again.
Mia cocked back her arm and threw the ball down the beach. Tundra was more than happy to run off and get it and when he picked it up, a thin sheen of sand was clumped up on his wet nose and the front part of his muzzle as he trotted back to her with the ball in his mouth.
She threw the ball several times, making sure he got his energy out and would tire himself out in the end.
This kept up for a little while until she decided it was time to go in and get dinner started. So, she called him over and he started walking along beside her back to their home ahead.
Once they got in, the young woman pulled out her iPhone, shrugged off her jacket, and hung it back up.
Then the two of them headed into the kitchen. She went ahead and filled his food bowl, before starting her own dinner. She pulled out some whole wheat pasta from the pantry and went to boil some water.
Afterwards, once it boiled, she poured the bowl of uncooked pasta into the small pot. Then she set a timer on her phone for twelve minutes and walked away.
Mia retreated into the living room and plopped down on the couch in front of the fireplace, with the flatscreen TV sitting above it on a wall mount. She kicked up her legs onto the couch, getting comfortable and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on.
She went into the apps and started looking through them trying to figure out what to watch as she waited for her dinner to finish cooking.
She wasn't sitting alone there for long, when Tundra came bounding over after he finished his meal and jumped up onto the couch next to her. Then he laid down, putting his head in her lap.
Mia started to absentmindedly stroke the fur on top of his head between his large, pointy ears.
As she looked through some of the movies and shows on Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix, she couldn't really find anything that caught her eye. She switched back to the cable setting and flipped through the channels and ended up stopping on the weather channel.
"We are predicting the large storm will hit landfall within the next few hours. They are calling for snow cumulations at between three to five inches at least..." The weatherman stated.
The young woman groaned when she heard this. Then shifted her gaze to her dog who still had his head on her lap.
"Well Tundra, looks like you're going to be having blast tomorrow morning with all the snow they are saying we are 'supposed' to get. In my opinion, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are wrong. Otherwise, being snowbound for the next few days may have me reenacting a scene from the movie 'The Shining'." Mia says.
She hated being cooped up inside during the winter and the snow just made her nerves worse at times.
Though she knows it's the opposite for her pooch. No surprise, seeing as both Malamutes and Huskies were originally bred for the snowy wilderness.
They sat there on the couch until the timer went off, before she got up to go take the small pot of the stove and strain the pasta over the sink in the strainer. Then she pulled out a jar of sauce to heat up, which only took a minute or two, before pouring it over the pasta.
Afterwards, she took her bowl to the kitchen table with a glass of water and a cheese shaker and started to eat.
As she sat there, her phone 'dinged' indicating someone texted her. She picked up her phone and smiled when she saw it was her older brother, John.
"Hey, you hear they are calling for a few inches of snow later tonight?" His text said.
"Unfortunately. And like always, I hope they are wrong." She replied.
"Funny, while you hope that; my kids are hoping for a snow day and no school." He said.
"Are they going to do the whole wear their pajamas inside out and toss a pinch of salt over their shoulder like we did a couple times as kids?" She texted back as a joke.
"Hopefully not, because knowing my youngest, she will just take out the whole can of salt and end up spilling it all over the floor. Then hope the dog and cats don't get into it before Tess or I can clean it up." Was his reply.
She let out a brief silent chuckle at that.
Yeah, she knew her niece, Robin, can have a very bad case of the butterfingers at times. Something the girl's older brother would find hilarious and would laugh when she would drop something and make a mess.
"You forgot to add how Camden will laugh and grab your iPhone so he can record it." She teased.
Camden being her nephew and Robin's older brother.
"Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him. Then listen as my wife yells at him to put the phone down and keep the dog and cats away from the spill while one of us tries to clean it up as quickly as possible." He said.
"You think if I ask, he'll send the recording to me?" She joked.
"Haha, no. You'll just have to settle getting your kicks watching Tundra plow through the snow like a maniac." He stated.
"You're no fun. I swear, married life has made you boring." Mia continued teasing her brother.
"Thanks a lot. Now you sound like Tess. Anyways, you want me to come over in the morning and salt the walkways and driveway for you?" He asks.
Mia softly smiled. Just like him to always lend a helpful hand to her.
"Thanks, but you don't have to. I have already done my grocery shopping a couple days ago and didn't plan on going back out for anything within the next few days." She told him.
"Ok. Just let me know if you need anything otherwise." He reminded her.
"Thanks, Johnny, I will." Mia says.
They only texted back and for a couple more times, before she resumed eating dinner.
When she finished, she cleaned off her bowl and fork and put them in the strainer next to the sink. Then instead of going back into the living room to watch something, she went back down the hall to her office and parked herself in front of her laptop once more and tried to go back to typing.
She'll try and see if she can at least type one or two pages to add to the chapter she was currently working on. If she can't, she can always go downstairs, pop on her ballet slippers, and dance to occupy her mind and body.
Mia continued sitting there in front of the screen.
She maybe was able to knock out one paragraph within the last hour or so. Before she leaned back with a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through her long dark locks, smoothing them back.
The sun has already gone down completely, since she let her dog out before dinner.
As her gaze drifted to the window to the left of her desk where she sat, she thought she could make out little flurries out there among the dark night sky. It made her internally groan.
'Screw it, I'm going down to dance for a while.' She thought.
Then she pushed back her computer chair and got up. Tundra got up from the rug and followed her as she left the room. Mia walked back into the living room and went to the door that led down into the large, finished off basement where her little dance studio was and walked downstairs.
While the dog parked himself on the bottom of the landing, she went over and grabbed her pointe ballet shoes from one of the little cubbies that sat against the left corner of the wall.
Mia hopes at least that the dancing will wear her down enough so that she will be able to at least get a decent night's sleep tonight.
The Outskirts of Eregion, Middle Earth after the Siege...
The pain was unbearable. Each blade that pierced him; pulled a barely audible grunt from him as he lied there on the dirt covered ground in a daze.
All Adar could see above him, were his beloved uruk children snarling down at his prone form as they continued running him through with their swords. Each stab made his heart break and shatter.
His black blood sprayed all over his face and neck and he could hardly move. They were relentless, not giving him an ounce of relief or mercy and through throng, another face popped into his line of hazy vision. A fair face that looked down at him with a neutral expression.
Adar knew right away who it was.
It was the one he came here for, the one he was determined to destroy so that he wouldn't make his children, his slaves, and destroy Middle Earth.
Sauron.
After what felt like an age, the Uruks finally stopped stabbing him. They all continued to look down at him with a dark glint in their eyes. While he began to choke on his own blood, he reached up to them with a shaky blood-covered hand and heartbroken look in his dulling gaze.
"My...children..." He whispered weakly in Black Speech as he reached out to them.
"They are not children anymore." Sauron told him, as he continued looking down at his old enemy that was once his former Lieutenant.
But the dying Dark Elf ignored the painful jibe and repeated his words once more with a pained look filled with sadness.
That was when Sauron turned his gaze to the uruk known as Glug. When he did, Glug shifted his gaze from the dark lord down to his former Lord Father. He got down on his knees before him and lifted his sword up in the air then with a yell, he viciously slammed the blade down into Adar's heart.
After that, his arm dropped to the ground and as his vision started to darken and his hearing started getting fuzzy, he heard Glug ask orders from 'Lord Sauron' while bowing his head to him. The rest of the Uruks followed suit and bowed down to him.
Sauron's first order was for them to raze Eregion and leave no elf alive but to bring him their leaders.
Then as his life began to slowly fade, he heard them all hail the new dark lord, before they all dispersed to do his bidding. After that, he faintly heard Galadriel's voice off to the side, addressing Sauron as he still stood over Adar's prone form that was still bleeding out and soaking the ground both beneath and around him.
As his heart faltered and began to slow, he heard Sauron say something back to her before the evil sorcerer turned back to look down at him with a dark smirk. Then he knelt down over him with Morgoth's crown in his hand.
Not a few moments after, there was a sharp clanging sound as he saw Sauron twist his upper body around slightly and used the crown to catch the incoming swing from Galadriel's sword.
The last thing Adar heard before he died, was the constant clang of weapons as Sauron went off to engage Galadriel in a fight.
The beautiful blue sky above him started to darken as his vision finally went and he took his final breath. Then there was nothing.
He felt like he was floating in a dark void, completely absent of light. Then suddenly, a tiny sliver of light appeared bringing light to the dark void that surrounded him. The light started to gradually get bigger and brighter until the dark void dissipated completely, and he was now completely surrounded by this warm, bright life.
Adar was unsure of what was happening and wasn't sure if he feared this bright light or welcomed it.
Then through the light, he heard this soft, disembodied voice ring through his ears.
"Sinya coiv-, -esse defiance -o faire." It said.
He didn't know what the voice meant by those words or why it would say that. As far as he knew, there was no life for him anymore, only death. Then something strange started to happen. His body, which he hasn't felt since before he died, suddenly started to feel warm and... different.
The light around him then started to brighten even more until it was blinding and taking over all of his senses.
Back in Pine Barrens, Cape May, New Jersey
February 12, 2025, 2:42a.m.
Mia awoke with a start gasping for air.
Her body was covered in a cold sweat as she sat up in the dark bedroom. She looked around bleary-eyed and noted it was still nighttime. Her gaze went to the small battery-operated digital clock on her nightstand. The bright red digital numbers said 2:42a.m.
"Fuck." She huffed out as she still tried getting her breathing under control.
She was having a difficult time in getting it under control and her chest started to heave faster, her heart started to race, while her hands began to shake.
Mia knew this meant she was on the verge of another one of her panic attacks. She heard whimpering to her right as her dog jumped up on the bed and walked over to her. He could sense his owner's distress and placed his head against her chest.
She wrapped her arms around his thick furred neck and tried once more to focus on her breathing.
But the longer she sat there, the more she felt the need to get up and move around. Her gaze went to one of the bedroom windows and she could see through a crack between the molding and the blackout shades that it was still snowing.
It wasn't getting any better for her and she felt like she was being suffocated and needed air.
So, she unwrapped her arms from around her dog's neck and hopped out of bed. She went into her walk-in closet and grabbed a pair of thick slip-on boots off the shelf and pulled them on. Then she grabbed another one of her winter jackets off one of the hangers and tugged it on.
Before leaving the room, she grabbed her iPhone and put it in the zip-up pocket of her insulated jacket.
Mia stumbled out into the hall with her dog sticking close to her side the entire time. As she made her way into the living room she made a quick b-line to the front door. The only thought currently racing through her mind was that she needed to get out of here and get some fresh air. She could care less if there was a possible blizzard out there, she was going out.
She fumbled with the digital house alarm on the wall next to the door, turning it off. Then she unlocked the door, pulled it open and quickly headed out.
Once she closed the door behind her, Mia took a few steps forward. She closed her eyes and tilted her face back, letting the snow flutter down onto her cheeks.
The young woman stood there for a few minutes just taking deep breaths.
It was helping. Her racing heart was gradually slowing down, and she felt like she was getting better control of her breathing. When she started feeling better, Mia started walking ahead towards the beach.
Tundra walked along with her as she went. The soft snow crunched beneath their feet as they went, leaving tracks and pawprints in the smooth, white surface.
Once Mia got to the sand, she only took a few more steps out before stopping. Her gaze slowly drifted around the peaceful atmosphere.
The ambiance of the falling snow surrounded her with nothing but silence. It was like the whole world was fast asleep, but her.
Then her gaze went to the small, soft waves gently lapping at the shore. Her mind went back to what awoken her to begin with. Thinking about it made burning hot tears roll down her ice-cold cheeks.
She closed her eyes briefly while letting out a shaky exhale.
As she stood there, the wind suddenly started to kick up around her. At first, it was a weak breeze. Then it gradually got stronger, the snow started swirling about them.
Her dark hair started to blow into her face, and she had to lift her hands to brush it away. It started to feel like she was caught in a wind tunnel. Mia was about to turn around and run back to her house and get inside when something very strange happened.
The snow started to swirl into a large ball, making a swirling wall of snowflakes. This was happening less than ten feet away from her to her left. Then this swirling form of snow started to brighten, like a light was shining from within it.
She started to freak out a little and quickly back away, while Tundra started to bark.
Before she could even take two steps back though, the swirling ball of snowflakes suddenly burst apart and the light within it suddenly dissipated. As quickly as it started, the air was suddenly calm again and the snow continued falling to the ground.
But what she suddenly saw on the ground after the strange phenomenon had her frozen in place.
There, now lying in the snow-covered sand, was a man. A man that certainly was not there before the strange occurrence unfolded. By the looks of it, he was not moving.
Concern started overriding her fear and she started to cautiously approach him.
From what she can see in the poor lighting from the dark, white, grey sky, he was decked out in dark clothing and lying on his back. His face was pale, in stark contrast to his dark hair and clothing.
She couldn't tell if he was breathing or not due to the poor lighting out here.
Then as she was within three feet of him, he let out a loud audible gasp as his body jerked a little. Then he started breathing in harsh breaths like he had just finished running a marathon. His eyes flittered open in a half-lidded gaze and he appeared to be in a daze.
Adar could see a dark whitish grey sky above him and felt the cool flakes of snow drift down onto his cheeks and feel the cold earth beneath him.
'Where...am I?' Was the only thought that came through his hazy mind.
Mia took another step towards the man and knelt down a little.
"Sir? Can you hear me?" She asks.
He furrowed his brows a little when he heard a woman's voice off to his left.
He slowly turned his head and shifted his gaze to the source when he saw what looked like a young woman who was kneeling forward a bit and looking down at him. He also noticed a large, furry animal standing next to her. It looked like a wolf.
"Do you need me to call an ambulance?" She said, as she took another step closer to him.
The Dark Elf didn't understand what she had just asked him. Call a what?
He started to feel like he could move a little more and tried to sit up. Though he was a little shaky upon doing so. That's when he heard footsteps draw closer to him and then he felt a pair of hands gently grasp his left arm and helped him sit upright.
"I...I don't understand. Where am I?" He asked, in a deep raspy tone.
Well, she did see him kind of just appear out of nowhere, so it's understandable that he didn't know where he was.
"You are in the Pine Barrens, Cape May Area, in New Jersey." She told him.
The man looked up at her with a puzzled look.
Adar wanted to ask her where in the world that was, for he has never heard of such a place. But before he could ask, she spoke up again.
"Are you hurt at all? Can you move?" She asked.
Surprisingly no, he didn't feel any pain at all. Just maybe felt a bit disoriented and weak. But it didn't feel like he had just got stabbed to death.
"No, but I do feel weary. And I believe I can move." He answered.
From what she could see upon closer inspection through the poor lighting, he looked like he was dressed in odd clothing. He was wearing some kind of long skirt and...is that a spiky glove on his hand?
She didn't like this.
The man was out of place, dressed strangely, and just appeared out of nowhere. For all she knew, he could be dangerous. Wearing that scary looking spiked glove didn't put her at ease much either.
But when her gaze met his, she could clearly see a lost and confused look within his gaze she also thought she saw sadness and hurt.
It tugged at her and made her feel like she cannot simply just leave him out here. Especially, in this weather.
"Here, let me help you up. That way we can get you inside." She says.
He was silent for a moment, before giving her a brief nod.
Then Adar bent his legs and used his arms to push himself up to stand. Mia kept one hand around his bicep and the other went to his back. That's when she noticed that the shirt he was wearing was no ordinary shirt. She felt cold, stiff metal beneath her hand.
'The hell? He wearing armor?' She thought, with a slightly confused look.
He was a little unsteady on his feet at first. Then he was able to find his footing and started slowly walking.
"Ok, thankfully, we don't have far to go. The house is right over there." She said gesturing ahead as she walked beside him.
He looked ahead, and through the steady fall of snow, he could see dwellings a few yards ahead of them.
She was right, it was close. Which was good, because he really was starting to feel very tired. All he could think of doing, was lying down, and getting rest.
They reached the home within a few minutes, and she opened the door to let them inside. As they both stepped into the home and she closed the door behind them, neither of them knew what awaited them as she brought him into her home and into her life. Just as he was not yet fully aware of what has happened with him.
Quenya Translations:
Sinya coiv- , -esse defiance -o faire - New life, in defiance of death
Until Next Time ;)