Element of the Heart - A Lord of the Rings/Legolas Fanfiction

Chapter 1: Awaken

2952 of the Third Age

"The Light of the Valar has flickered down to touch Middle Earth. The forest is awakening."

         Lord Elrond stiffened when he heard Lady Galadriel's voice in his mind. It was the first time the elven Queen of Lórien had spoken to him in eleven years, and she was summoning him to her homeland. Elrond retreated from the white, stone balcony overlooking Rivendell. Moonlight streamed through the halls as Elrond grabbed a cloak. He turned a corner and saw Arasinya, one of the servants. "Arasinya, if Aragorn comes, tell him that I should not be gone longer than a few weeks."
         Arasinya bowed. "My lord, must you go again? Ever since the boy learned of his heritage and left Rivendell, he seems to seek your presence and guidance all the more."
        "He is of age, Arasinya. He is no longer a boy. As Isildur's heir, he should come to know the ways of men. He must remain with the Dúnedain." 
        "Even though all he knows is the way of the elves?"
        "If Aragorn is ever to become what he must, it is the only way," Elrond murmured as he pulled the cloak over his shoulders. "Alas, I must leave. Something is to happen in Lórien." He belted his sword to his waist. "There is no time to lose. I may already be too late."
        Arasinya's hand flew to her mouth. "Does Lady Galadriel require aid, my lord? Should I alarm Daurion and the other warriors?"
        "No," Elrond said quickly. "Do not alert them." He hastened down the steps. Eleven years ago, he, Galadriel, and the wizard Saruman had encountered the Dark Lord Sauron in Dol Guldur, the ruins of a fortress in the southern part of the Mirkwood forests. Sauron, in the form of a blazing Eye, was too powerful for any of them to defeat, but Galadriel had managed to banish him, their greatest enemy, to Mordor. Afterwards, Saruman ventured off to Mordor, claiming that he would put an end to Sauron. Galadriel, weak and close to death, had returned to her homeland to recover. And Elrond? He had returned to Rivendell to watch and listen, and to wait for any word of whether Saruman was able to match the power of the Dark Lord. None came.
        Elrond rode out of Rivendell atop Rochal, the swiftest horse he could find. For days, he rode without stop. All the while, he pondered over the intentions of the Valar. How do they wish to respond to the dark forces brewing in Mordor?
        The terrain changed from mountains to grassy plains. Elrond knew he was only a few hours away from the Lothlorien forest. He stopped his horse, allowing it to drink from a nearby stream. He stretched his aching legs. After a few minutes, he mounted Rochal and pressed forward, but the horse did not budge.
        "Rochal, hortho (hurry)!" Elrond nudged Rochal, who took one step forward. Elrond grumbled. "Of all the beasts in Middle Earth-"
        The ground shook, jerking the world in all directions. Black birds shot out of the nearby shrubs into the darkened sky. The earth groaned as rock ground against rock. Elrond gripped onto Rochal's reins, trying to steady the horse and prevent him from bolting out of terror. Then, as suddenly as it came, the earthquake ceased. Elrond took a moment to breathe and observe his surroundings. Everything looked the same as it did before, but something was different. Elrond could not see it, but with his gift of foresight, he felt it: a gentle pulse in the darkness. 
​This time, Rochal obeyed Elrond's command. As Elrond rode, the mysterious pulse grew stronger. A new heart was beating in Lórien.
        Elrond understood Galadriel's words as soon as he entered the Lothlorien forests. After dismounting, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion, but he could not allow himself to rest. Magic breathed in the air. It an autumn night, yet every flower and plant was in full bloom as if it were spring. Elrond walked deeper into the forest.
        A young maiden hastened through the trees. As soon as her blue eyes landed on Elrond, she stopped. A smile spread across her lips as a slight breath escaped them. "Ada." She ran into his arms.
        Elrond embraced her. "Daughter. How do you fare?"
        "I am well."
        Elrond smiled to himself. Already, he could tell that Arwen had matured during her stay with Galadriel. He knew she wondered why he came, or if he knew what was to happen, but instead of asking a relentless load of questions, she decided to trust that he would speak if something needed to be said.  He released his daughter. "Where is Lady Galadriel?"
        She took his hand. "Come, Ada."
        Elrond walked alongside her to a clearing in the forest, centered on a small lake. Nothing fell to disturb its surface, but it rippled wildly. The clearing revealed a solitary star. Nothing was unusual about it, save for that as its light neared the ground, it narrowed into a single ray, which brightened as it neared the ground. White specks of light no larger than a fingernail floated in the starlight within the forest. As Elrond eye's focused on them, they appeared to be white tongues of flame.
        Lady Galadriel stood ahead of the elves where the clearing started: ten paces from the edge of the lake, the beam from the star hitting the ground between her and the lake. Galadriel did not break her gaze from the light. With her pale blonde hair and the white glow that emitted from her, she appeared ethereal, even to the elves. "The starflames have not been seen on Middle Earth for centuries." Galadriel turned her head, gazing directly at Elrond. "As it was written in the humblest prophecies, in fading histories that most elves have forgotten..." She turned back to the light, speaking in a chant-like rhythm,