Thorodriel

Chapter 1 - The Message

Hi guys, I just want to clarify some things before I continue posting:

Firstly, I will use strong language in this story and thought I should probably give a warning in advance. Also, given that it is based on LOTR, there will be violence portrayed!

Also, my main character possesses the gift of ósanwe (telepathy/direct thought transmission), so I wanted to be clear on when this occurs. I will use italics when she is conversing through thought and standard characters when the speech is out-loud.

Thank you all for checking out this little project of mine! Please feel free to fav/follow/review if you can be bothered! I'm hoping to update it quite regularly and it will potentially come to around 50 chapters in the end. 

I hope you enjoy it! :)

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Thorodriel: Chapter 1 – The Message

She knew something was wrong, she felt it in her core. Gandalf still hadn't been in touch and whilst the wizard wasn't known for his communication skills, he was never late. Aeweneth had tried calling out to him several times, but her ósanwe was temperamental over long distances and there was no telling whether he received her messages or not. Hoping for a distraction, the elf grabbed her twin blades, climbed down from her usual spot among the branches, and turned towards home.

When she first found this spot many years ago, she was looking for freedom and a place to heal. Hidden from sight but open and unrestricted, nothing seemed more perfect to her than this clifftop woodland. There was something about her chosen home that repaired those little cracks in her soul and restored her day by day. Even the Great Eagles, whose Eyrie lay close by, seemed to enjoy her presence. Aeweneth seemed to have a natural affinity with birds even as a child, and her family believed it was somehow related to her gifts. They always appeared to be fond of her presence and seemed to possess a mutual desire for quiet. In fact, over the years the Great Eagles had become something of an ally for Aeweneth. She often sought them out for guidance, company, and help. She just hoped their assistance would not be needed any time soon.

Aeweneth breathed in the smell of the ancient forest, untouched by man. Through the gaps in the trees, she watched the sun disappear beneath the mountains and let her mind settle.

"Gandalf will be okay," she thought to herself, "You're just freaking yourself out, as per usual".

But something still didn't feel right. It had been weeks since he last updated her on his whereabouts and, even then, the small note did not settle her fears. Entering the small cove among the trees which she had called home for many years, Aeweneth immediately set about finding the wizard's message. In the dusk light, she saw it sticking out from her weather-beaten satchel and carefully took it in her hands. It read:

"My dear friend, I am afraid the dark past has returned. Keep well and await my call"

"Just what have you gotten yourself into now, old man?" she admonished fearfully.

Feeling lost, Aeweneth went back outside and lay among the grass. As night settled, she cast her mind back to her childhood. She pictured her mother and remembered the many times they had lain together, like this, under the stars telling stories of the past. Those would always be her most precious memories, and being here so close to the sky healed her fëa like no elven magic ever could. Like her mother, Aeweneth seemed to glow among the stars, her eyes shone and her golden hair became a river of light. The elf gently let her eyes close and, at the edge of the world, allowed loving memories of her childhood to overtake her.

She did not realise she had fallen asleep until a slight fluttering awoke her. The small creature was almost imperceptible in the dark, but it's tiny wings echoed in the silence. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she soon realised it's origin.

"Gandalf?" the words slipped from her mind with ease now.

"Aeweneth, we have been betrayed. The darkness has taken Saruman and the ring of power has returned. I place my hope in you."

A chill ran down her spine and she stood frozen for a moment.

"Shit! Stupid fucking wizard," the elf screamed internally, frustrated at his recklessness. She darted back inside her home, "he's always getting himself in too deep, sending me bloody moths and expecting me to save him!"

The pair had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Since the Necromancer all those years ago, both she and Gandalf had been feeling uneasy. Aeweneth had only hoped there would be a few more years of peace before the war began. She grabbed her satchel and started filling it with necessities. Gandalf needed her and she wouldn't let her oldest friend down. Turning to the small winged creature once more she sent her reply:

"I will not abandon you mellon nin."

After deciding that she had enough essentials for the journey, the elf grabbed her twin blades and headed towards the clearing near her home. Her loyal horse, Celeb, glanced over at her arrival and followed her lead without hesitation.

Before finally leaving, Aeweneth turning back for a moment. She took in the place she had called her home for many centuries now.

"Namárië." she thought to herself, knowing there was a chance she might never return.

Taking the reins, the two then headed towards her usual spot at the cliff edge. Aeweneth knew what she needed to do next.

She could already feel the energy crackling throughout her body, her need to save Gandalf urging her to let go completely. But she couldn't, she had to keep control just as the wizard had taught her. Remembering his guidance, she breathed in deeply and focused her mind on a single image: the Great Eagles. The more she concentrated, the more the world around her darkened and the image of the magnificent beings became clearer. Soon her sight settled on the greatest of these creatures and she found herself sinking into his thoughts:

"Gwaihir, my dear friend, I come to you in an hour of great need once again. Mithrandir, the grey wizard, has been betrayed and lies injured at the top of the Orthanc. I beg your assistance in saving him from this fate. I am afraid that the future of Middle-Earth depends upon his survival."

The Great Eagle's dark eyes bore into Aeweneth, penetrating her very soul and seeing into her fëa. After some time, she received her reply:

"It appears the War of the Ring has begun. What do you need from us, child?"