Elerrina

Change in the Wind

Nerves wracked her body as she silently followed the twins around the labyrinth of hallways and pointed arches of the house. For the first time, the house did not seem big enough for their walk to stretch a little longer. Every step she took came too soon after the previous one, leading her to the moment she had been dreading.

Both of the twins were smiling, their silver eyes sparkling with light as they walked to see their father, Elladan holding her hand in his. She felt him gently give her hand a comforting squeeze, and she knew that he could feel her nervousness and hesitation. There were so many things to discuss, so many unanswered questions...

Images of the Elf-Lord dragging her through the long corridors, a sword in hand as the nasty creatures jumped at them from left and right kept flashing through her mind. She saw the dark room, remembered stumbling on pieces of furniture; the piercing silver eyes looking intently into hers as slender fingers handed her the blue-stoned ring; the sad, pained look on the Elf-Lords face as he foresaw the purpose and outcome of the sudden attack; the instructions to search in the drawer that contained the letters that revealed her true inheritance...

The twins led her up an elegant staircase, the golden light tracing defined lines through the air as the rays of the sun entered freely through the tall windows. The details on the windowpane laced fine, delicate shades on the floors as they ascended to parts of the house in which she had never been before, but she was not really aware of her surroundings.

He had known all along. Lord Elrond had known who she was, had known her name was really Almarëa, ever since the moment she stepped into the house that first night she arrived. What else did he know about her? Part of her wanted to find out the truth; find about the parts of the story that had been left out of the letters; find out the reasons why she had been left to become Elerrina; the reasons why her own father chose to hide her behind that surreal identity. And yet, part of her was scared to hear the truth. One again, she felt as if her life had been a lie as both Elerrina and Alamarëa felt unreal to her, strangers she had never met: both were her names, but neither was who she had really been.

And then, there was still the ring, Vilya, hanging from the thin silver chain around her neck, the faint blue glow dancing dully inside the bright blue stone as its low murmurs twirled in the breeze. She remembered feeling the ring nearly possessing her, her mind joining with it until she felt they were the same, its power flowing through her veins like a burning fire, and she did not know what was happening, why was it happening, or how was it happening...but it felt natural, unforced...

Her trail of thought was suddenly cut when the twins stopped their march in front of a large, exquisitely carved wooden door, and she felt her heart accelerate with nerves and hesitation as she realized where they were. She did not know why, but she had expected to go to the familiar study, and now realized that the twins had been leading her to the Elf-Lord's private chambers. Elrohir softly opened the door and stepped into the room, looking incredibly comfortable and confident in the familiar surroundings. Elladan followed closely behind, almost dragging her by the hand, as he too felt more than comfortable in that space. Elerrina felt like an elfling who was about to invade the room for the grown-ups as she stepped inside the chamber, close beside Elladan.

Bright light washed the elegant interiors of the large room, dancing through the golden leaves of the trees outside the overly large balcony at the far north face. Suddenly every other chamber she had ever seen seemed small and plain, as she herself felt small under the delicate, thin columns that stretched to support the pointed arches of the structure, seeming to float, too frail to support any weight. The chamber itself carried an aura of peace as the silvery blue shade of the heavy curtains mixed with the tranquil heavens outside.