The Revenge of a Huntress

the one with family, dwarrowdams, and fountains

Thelle remembered that this was how she comforted the girl as a child.

"It is because I have hope, Iellig, that I know this journey will end victoriously."

A lone tear dropped from the pool in Calad's eye, leaving Thelle to wipe it away with her thumb. "I trust you, the both of you, with all my heart," she hummed.

"I am exhausted from watching you be murdered by the white orc in my dreams," Calad admitted with a sniffle. "Please do not die."

Thelle tightened her grip around the younger woman. "I do not think it will be the will of the Valar for my fate to end so suddenly," she said. "Even if it is destined to be so, the two of you will always have each other."

"Like you and our father before us," Estel commented, reaching an arm around his aunt to rub his sister comfortingly on the back. "We are family, and family does not leave each other so easily."

The three remained in a comforting embrace for a few moments before a thought struck Estel, who suddenly spoke with his voice cutting through the solemnity, "I discovered a few important ties to the trafficking which you may be interested in."

"What is it?" Thelle asked and slowly her grip from Calad. "What have you noticed?"

"Human men have not only been marching their coveted slaves south to the Dundanlings but have also been going across Arda to-"

"Dol Goldur?" Thelle finished, a chill running through her veins.

Estel nodded with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Well, yes, but how did you know that?"

"You are not the only one to warn me of this place."

His eyes widened slightly. "Who has spoken to you? I have told no one."

"Radagast the Brown warned Gandalf and me of such a thing only moments before we were chased by the orc pack." Thelle looked behind them to check their surroundings before continuing lowly, "He believes that the Greenwood is sick and that whatever is there is the root cause."

Estel nodded once, before leaning back in his seat with a dark look passing over his face. "They have been discreet, but there is evidence of something a lot more nefarious lurking in those lands." He looked over to her in surprise. "But you already knew of this, did you?"

Thelle turned away from her nephew, unable to hold his gaze. "Radagast also said something else," she admitted, fussing with the ring on her pointer finger. "He believes whatever has made its home there is a necromancer and has been bringing things back from the dead."

Calad stiffened at her side. "What sorts of things, aunt?"

"He found the blade of the Witch King."

A harsh wind whipped through the gardens, sending their hair flying askew and a cold shiver running through their spines. "One of the Nazgul," Estel spoke, his voice deep and full of a seriousness that her brother had once possessed.

Calad's eyes shadowed over. "Saruman would be hesitant to declare such things, gwanuig."

He looked at her sharply. "We must be prepared."

Thelle wrapped her hand around his arm. "We will be, Estel. Do not worry."

"We will be targeted," Calad spoke, her voice wavering slightly. "The Necromancer will want to kill us, all of us, to see our bloodline destroyed."

Thelle pulled her closer to her side. "I will not let that happen, Calad. You must trust me."

Her niece's dark brown eyes looked up at her, meeting her own grey ones. Calad is indeed Gilraen's daughter. "How will you be able to stop us from meeting such a fate if you meet yours at the hands of the white orc as I have foreseen?"