Eleanor, daughter of the Great Warrior Maethor, is a High Elf entrusted when she was but an infant to Finarfin, Galadriel's father. The youngling is then raised alongside Galadriel and her brothers as a member of their family.
Centuries pass in Val...
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The Old Mine, Khazad-dûm, Middle Earth
Elanor had learned many things about Khazad-dûm during her hours of reading. She learned that the mines here were less about blunt force than an act of revered sculpting, which involved methodically and slowly tending to the stone to uncover the secrets held within. That was the reason behind Khazad-dûm's renown for their gems and gold. She also knew that Dwarves had a special reverence for the lake just outside the mountain's eastern entrance to the city, called Mirrormere. It was said that in the reflection of its dark waters, the first Durin — the current prince ancestor — beheld a crown of stars above his head. Mirrormere mattered more than any other place, and now that she thought about it, Elanor found it strange that she had not gone there, even to see the lake with her own eyes.
She wondered as she followed Elrond, the Half-Elf still lost in his thoughts. Perhaps Durin and Disa were indeed hiding something significant from them. Something dangerous or something they covet, she could not tell yet.
Elrond leading, they walked through the darkest tunnel, barely lit by a few torches and braziers, a path old and half-collapsed in some parts. Elanor looked around her, staying close to the Half-Elf as she could not help but grip the hilt of her sword to reassure herself. They were so far from the surface, and although Elanor had come to adjust to Khazad-dûm, mainly because of her fascination and love for the city, she started to feel uncomfortable so deep within the earth, only surrounded by darkness and stones. Yet, Elrond walked confidently, his steps fast and light against the debris. He only halted when they reached a junction between two paths. He stopped, feeling the air as Elanor stepped closer. She felt a close breeze blowing between her legs, making her tunic shift softly and Elrond's cape moved. They listened to the wind blowing, trying to decipher where it was coming from precisely until the Half-Elf took a first step toward the wall in front of them, eyes on something near the ground. As Elanor watched him move, he leaned against the wall, both hands flat against his rocky surface, before suddenly pushing with a grunt. She observed him for a moment, wondering what he was trying to accomplish, seeing how he ran his hands over the rock, obviously looking for something, until she saw it. Perhaps it escaped Elrond's attention because of how close to the wall he was, but Elanor noticed the long, thin, almost invisible line marking the stone, only thickening around a portion of rock sticking out slightly. She stepped closer, hesitantly, Elrond's hands always missing the line.
"Here," she took his right hand, guiding his fingers along the line until it reached the ticking-out rock. "Try here."
He glanced at her briefly before observing the stone a moment longer. He blinked once, a new light shining in his eyes as he whispered, tapping rhythmically with the words against the sticking-out stone.
"Rich crone, kiss the stone..." And Elanor recognised the odd rhyme Disa's children were singing. "Polish your gems and gold."
When the last word was whispered, a loud rumbling and scraping could be heard through the wall, and Elanor and Elrond took a quick step back when a sudden clank echoed, followed by a new scraping sound as the wall moved, discovering a door. Then, with a loud thud, the door stopped moving, leaving the two Elves standing in front of its entrance.
