Chapter 1 - Black Riders
I woke up and saw the sun shining inside my bedroom. I realized I must have slept in late since I could see people walking outside through my window. But I lay down again, I was too comfortable to even think of getting out of bed. But I had too. I had to leave the comfort of my soft sheets to go on with the day as I did everyday of my life, which seemed to go on forever. And indeed it did last forever. After all, I am an elf. And being immortal might sound like it it the best thing ever, but when you feel like you don't belong anywhere and you feel that you're not going anywhere with your life, facing all the ages of the world is not the ideal situation. I try my best to see the best in everything and everyone, but it is so hard for me to get over the fact that I am not from here and with that, I probably do not belong here. But I wait, I wait for something incredible to happen because I know that one day, something incredible will happen, but some day could be tomorrow like it could be in a thousand years.
"Lady Aearel, Lord Elrond wishes to see you." Mladris, a beautiful young elf with long and silky blond hair whom I would always go to for advice, spoke after she knocked at my door and entered my bedroom.
"Tell Elrond I'll be right there." I responded to her as I stood up and looked at my dresses deciding which one I would wear today. I opted for a navy blue dress made of the finest and softest fabric with white stones all around the collar and white embroidered flowers at the bottom of it. It sat perfectly on my shoulders and reached up to my wrists and went down to my ankles. I then combed my hair and braided the sides of it, attaching it at the back of my hair so that it wouldn't fall in my face. I looked at myself in the mirror for a moment before waking out of my bedroom and off to speak with Elrond.
I loved it here, even though I felt like I didn't belong here. Rivendell was a beautiful place to live. It almost seemed completely cut off of the rest of the world because of how peaceful it always was here. No battles or hatred, just peace and happiness. At least that's what I thought for now..
I lifted my dress a little as I walked up a few stairs before reaching a big door. I knocked and waited for Elrond to let me in. "Come in." I heard him say and I opened the door slowly before closing it behind me and sitting down on a small bench facing the sun.
"I am worried about you, Aearel." He spoke softly turning towards me and putting an arm on my shoulder.
"You should not waist your time with me, Lord Elrond."
"Aearel... Call me father, just like you always have." He told me and I looked down at my hands.
"And why would I do that? " I asked him archly but I went on before he could answer. "Why would I do that if it is only a bloody lie? You knew the truth for all these years and yet you never thought good to tell me. All this time you knew who my parents were and what happened to them and you still won't tell me! Why can't I know Elrond... I want to know."
"Aearel... You are too young." He spoke gently while I looked outside, not wanting to face him. I could feel his glare on me.
"What do you mean I am too young? I am not a little girl anymore. I am an adult and I demand you tell me everything you know about my parents."
"No. You are not ready to know all of this... Your heart is not ready. It would only break it more and make you feel lost... I do not want to see this happen to you, for I care too much about you."
"My heart is already broken, Elrond. The fact that you are not my father, Arwen is not my sister and Elladan and Elrohir are not my brothers is too much for me to bare. I cannot stay here any longer." I told him as I started to tear up again and I ran out the door not wanting for this conversation to go any further. Why does he not understand that I want to know what happened to them, no matter how bad it is or how bad it will make me feel. I want to know.
As I ran down the stairs and made my way back to my bedroom, I felt a familiar presence there; Arwen.
"Aearel... What's wrong sister?" She asked me gently as she put an arm around my shoulders and led me inside my bedroom.
"You do not need to call me that, for it is no longer true."
"What are you saying?"
"You are not my sister. All of you are not my family... I do not belong here."
"Telella..." She began. She always called me that for I was not a very tall elf, plus I was sort of her little sister. " Even if we are not blood sisters, we can choose to be sisters because of how close we are, don't you think? Plus we could easily pass for sisters, we look so much like each other." She laughed slightly and smiled at me. "My point is, father was wrong not to tell you before. But he did not do it out of grief. He did it for your own good. That you must understand and also, you must forgive him. He loves you as if you were his real daughter and I know you love him as if he was actually you father... That is what you thought the truth was all your life and even now that you know it is not the truth, you can still choose to believe it with all your heart."
What she just told me made me realise that maybe I was overreacting. I made a big scene to Elrond about how selfish he had been for not telling me, but maybe i was the one being selfish after all. Even if they were not technically my family, they still loved me and cared about me... So why was I so mad at my father for? He should have told me before, but still... now i was beginning to feel guilty about my recent behaviour.
"Boe i 'waen." I told her.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to go get some fresh air. Im going in the forest." I told Arwen and she told me to be careful, very careful before walking out my door.
***
I had changed into a dark green dress that I used for practicing my fighting skills to be more fluid in all my movements and rode out of the city on my horse,Gilroch. My dress reached down to my knees and was made of a thick but soft fabric and I wore a brown corset over it. I also wore bracers of the same color and fabric. Also, I wore brown boots that were rather comfortable. I had placed my two knives and my small sword inside my belt and attached my bow and arrows on my back. I was always prepared for anything to happen.
I rode out quite far that day with Gilroch. I stopped because I sensed that he was thirsty so I gave him a little bit of my water and right when I was about to hop back on his back, I heard a branch crack behind me. I took out my daggers and brought them in front of me, only to see Arwen come running fast on her horse towards me.
"Daro, Asfaloth." She commanded her horse and hoped off him to talk to me.
"Arwen, what are you doing here." I asked her when she got right beside where I was standing.
"I can feel a presence. Not of one but of many." She spoke softy and turned her head to look at me. "Nazgûl."
"What? Why would black riders come so close to Rivendell?"
"They are about three days away from here, but that is too close. What they are doing here, I do not know. I have an idea but I can only hope I am wrong."
"What are you thinking?" I asked her already knowing what she would say.
"I think our enemy is back." She said and continued before I could ask anything else. "I feel something very evil, not very far west from here and I sense a familiar presence with it."
"Aragorn?" I guessed because I knew he had went out in the west for some business and also, Arwen was very fond of him.
"Yes. Aearel, tolo ar nin." She begged me to go with her.
"Of course." I said and jumped back on my horse.
"Gwaem." She said and rode out on Asfaloth.
"Noro lim, Gilroch." I commanded my horse to ride fast and caught up to Arwen.
***
We had now been riding for two days when we finally saw a fire a few meters away from us.
"Go to the fire, I will look around." She told me and I nodded.
I got off my horse and walked up to the fire, where four very small people were sitting. I figured they were hobbits, just like Bilbo, who would always tell me stories and sing with me. I realized one was lying on the ground looking very pale, he was going to die! I gasped as I saw him and the three others turned to look at me and drew out their swords.
"Get away from him!" The one who was sitting right beside him told me as he walked up to me.
"No, no it's alright! I do not want you any harm." I told them and they put down their weapons. "I am Aearel, I've come here to help you." I explained to them.
"Well, I'm Pippin and this is Merry. That's our friend Frodo on the ground and Sam went into the woods to find some sort of plant with Strider." He told me.
"What are you doing Pippin? We don't know if we can trust her!" I hear the other one, Merry, whisper to Pippin and right away Arwen came back with Aragorn. The hobbit that was on the ground opened his eyes as she walked towards him and kneeled in front of him.
"Frodo, Im Arwen. Telin le thaed. Lasto beth nin. Tolo dan na galad." Frodo gasped.
"Who is she?" Merry asked.
Aragorn walked and sat down beside Arwen as she moped Frodo's brow. Aragorn then chewed up some Athelas to try and calm down Frodo's pain.
"Frodo." Arwen sighed as she looked at him.
"She's an elf!" An other hobbit, Sam was his name, said as he came towards Frodo.
"He's fading." Arwen added as Aragorn put the Athelas into the wound and Frodo gasped once more.
"He's not going to last. We must get him to our father." I told Arwen as she looked at me, suprised that I had just called Elrond our father. She nodded in agreement as Aragorn lifted Frodo up.
"We've been looking for you for two days." Arwen told Aragorn. "There are five wraiths behind you, where the other four are I do not know."
"Dartho guin perian. Rych le ad tolthathon." He told her as he placed Frodo on Arwen's horse.
"Hon mabathon. Rochon ellint im."
"Andelu i ven."
"What are they saying?" Pippin asked me.
"Do not worry, it is nothing important." I told them so that they would not worry. But that was not true, for it was important. The fate of Frodo was in our hands. What we would do now would decide if he survived or not. I did not listen to the rest of their conversation, I was a little worried right now. There were 5 black riders behind us, looking for who knows what, and we had a little hobbit lying in the ground, on the edge of dying.
"Is he going to die?" Pippin asked me quietly.
"He will be alright." I told him as I kneeled down in front of him. "We will save him." I tried to convince myself just as much as him.
"Come, Aearel. We are leaving." Arwen told me as she mounted her horse behind Frodo who was still having trouble to breathe.
"Ride hard. Don't look back." Aragorn told us.
"Noro lim, Asfaloth, noro lim!" Arwen commanded her horse and I did the same.
"What are you doing? Those wraiths are still out there!" I heard Sam say as we rode out to Rivendell.
***
We rode through the fields and the open plains, day and night. As we were riding through the woodlands, I noticed a black rider following us through the trees. As we reached a clearing, he rode alongside Arwen and then he was joined by two others. What a nightmare. I remembered Aragorn's voice in my head saying 'Don't look back' but I could not resist and when I did, I saw 5 other black riders riding closely behind us, screeching. I looked to my right and saw an other one very close from me, reaching for Frodo, who was now on my horse. I dodged away from him and in and out of the trees. There were now eight wraiths following us.
"Noro lim Gilroch!"
Arwen's horse jumped over a log in front of me and we finally reached the river. She rode to the other side and when I reached the other side, I passed her Frodo and she sat him properly on her horse. I was too tired now to carry him. I looked to the opposite side of the river and I saw the black riders on the shore facing us, their horses rearing in frustration. Nine wraiths there were now in front us, all screeching.
"Give up the halfling She-elf." One of them spoke.
"If you want him, come and claim him!" Arwen replied as she drew out her sword and I took out my bow as I watched in terror all nine wraiths draw their swords raised and come galloping across the river. I directed my horse to go backwards but then I realized Arwen was not moving.
"Arwen!" I shouted but she still wast moving, even thought I could sense her terror too.
"Nin o Chitaeglit, lasto beth daer, Rimmo nin Bruinen, dan in Ulair! Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer, Rimmo nin Bruinen, dan in Ulair!" She shouted and then she started to back up.
The water level slowly started to rise and then suddenly, an enormous wave came from upriver. The horses became nervous. Then white horses appeared in the wave and chased the wraiths, taking them away from here. I started to smile but that did not last very long as Frodo became very weak.
"No! Frodo! No! Frodo don't give in, not now." She spoke as she lied him on the ground.
Tears appeared in my eyes as Arwen hugged him. I did not think he was going to last very long...
~~~
Sindarin translations:
Telella: little elf
Boe i 'waen: I must go
Daro: stop
Tolo ar nin: come with me
Gwaem: let's go
Noro lim: ride fast