Hope Almost Lost

Chapter One: We Have Visitors!

"... told me one of them has some sort of dark magic with him." I snapped out of my thoughts and tried to listen to Elahaion's endless talk of the new strangers. "What sort of dark magic?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure," Elathalion said. "I questioned Elrond, tried to get him to tell me more. All he said was 'Just go do this really boring task for me that I could probably just do myself.'" I laughed at my brother's attempt of an impression of Elrond. Elathalion's version of a wise and dramatic kind of elf Lord Elrond is is more like a dying cave troll. I had mentioned that before to him too, yet he still continues with his annoying- yet funny- Lord Elrond voice.

"Anyway, so I did as I was told," Elathalion said, slightly annoyed. "And I stumbled upon Arwen!" I laughed once again. I think Elathalion's crushing feelings for Arwen were greater than his hatred for her father, Lord Elrond.

"By the Valar it was embarrassing!" he exclaimed. "She asked me how I was, and I couldn't answer! Arwen is just so beautiful! I was just standing there staring at her. She tried to get my attention, but I just ran off. I knew I had embarrassed myself!" I had my arms wrapped around my middle, for I was laughing so hard! "It's not that funny," my brother protested.

When I had finally caught my breath, Elathalion continued talking. "Anyway," he said. "On a more serious note, there is something I have to tell you." Uh-oh. This cannot be good. "What is it?" I asked. "Elrond has summoned you, Tiathal."

I silently cursed in my head. The story mustn't be getting better, for Elathalion had used my real name, and that's never good. "Really," I said, trying to act like it was no big deal at all. This situation was obviously troubling my brother now, who had seemed so happy a moment ago.

"Do you remember the stories Naneth would tell to us when we were much younger and we couldn't sleep?" Elathalion asked, his voice softer now. I felt a sharp pain in my chest as I remembered a beautiful woman looking down at me, holding me, smiling and saying everything would be alright, before running off to die for some foolish dwarves being ruled by a greedy nadorhuan. "Yes," I answered back in the same soft tone.

"Well, do you happen to recall one about a battle fought because some evil person created this powerful ring of some kind? The battle she said would continue hundreds of years later, because the ring was never actually destroyed?" I nodded as I saw my mother telling me of a brave man who had taken up his father's broken sword and defeated the enemy.

Elathalion inched closer to me, his voice practically a whisper. "I think I saw a hobbit who had that One Ring with him. I could feel it." I raised an eyebrow at my brother. "Naneth would come up with these stories on her own, Elathalion," I said. "The One Ring never existed. And why would it be in the possession of a halfling?"

Elathalion suddenly became defensive. "But I never told you what I overheard the others talking about! It's all true, I'm telling you!" he yelled. I sighed. There was no way that such evil could exist in this world. The way my mother described the power of the One Ring was too good to be true. So I thought, apparently.

Disappointed at the fact that I didn't agree with him, Elathalion groaned. "Anyway," he said. "You're needed. Elrond called for you. This is the kind of meeting Adar would attend. In his absence, Elrond wants you instead." My eyes widened. I knew my father would attend important events and such, but I was confused to as why they couldn't replace him with someone who actually knew what to do. Lord Elrond had told me that if needed, someday they would need me to replace Father. But I was not ready, not now. Now I was still young, for an elf at least, and definitely was not ready to go to some serious "meeting" or whatever about something that I did not want to get involved in.