Sequel: A Burden ›
A Mistake
Her Chosen Path
“Frodo!” she cried as she burst into the room. He was sitting up, speaking to Gandalf when she interrupted.
“Raina!” he called back, hugging her tightly as she jumped onto his bed.
“Oh, Frodo…” she said, trying to keep tears from spilling over her cheeks. “I thought I was going to lose you…”
“Miss Maethoriel has barely left you side… neither has Master Gamgee,” Gandalf said with a laugh, as Sam ran in.
“Mister Frodo!” he yelled, running to his side.
It wasn’t another second before there was, “Frodo! Frodo!” being heard from inside the room, when Merry and Pippin ran in.
It was a happy reunion, and it was what Raina thought about for the rest of the day, until she was tucked into bed and ready for sleep. Then, she began to think of her strange encounter with the Elf, Legolas.
She sat up, and grabbed her pack from beside her bed, careful not to disturb Frodo as he slept beside her.
In her pack, she reached for the bottom, where she felt warm metal brush her skin. She grabbed the Lóestel, and looked at it in her hand. The pendant bore no jewel, but it was beautiful still. Vines crept over the elongated wings, and partly up the chain.
With few tears falling, Raina wrapped the silver chain around her neck, and closed the clasp for the first time. The metal was warm, as if she had worn the Elvenstar pendant her whole life. She took a breath in, and if felt as if new life was entering her. She felt strong, and more comfortable where she was than she had ever been. But, she felt less comfortable in her Hobbit clothes, and decided that she would find something Elven to wear while she was here. And with that, she fell asleep to the sound of many waterfalls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“His strength returns.”
“Yet the wound will never fully heal.”
Gandalf and Elrond stood looking out over Rivendell in the latter’s study.
“And yet to have come so far, still bearing the Ring, the Hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil."
"It is a burden he should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Frodo." Gandalf said warningly.
"Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the east — his eye is fixed on Rivendell. And Saruman, you tell me, has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin."
"His treachery runs deeper than you know. By foul craft Saruman has crossed Orcs with goblin-men; he's breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard. An army that can move in sunlight and cover great distance at speed. Saruman is coming for the Ring."
Elrond looked out of his balcony, over Rivendell. He could not bring any more harm to his people. There were so few, anyway. They could not fight, nor protect the Ring.
"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard!"
As they watched, an assortment of Men, Elves, and Dwarves rode into Rivendell. "This peril belongs to all Middle-Earth. They must decide now how to end it." Elrond said finally.
Legolas walked into the courtyard, and greeted the Elves. He turned to introduce Raina to his father and kin, who spoke to them fluently in Elvish.
“She has chosen her path as well, you know.” Elrond said to Gandalf, not turning from Raina. “She bears her Elvenstar now, Lóestel, and shall not age. I felt the presence of it in the back of my mind last night, as she placed it on herself for the very first time. She walks with the grace of and Elf, and will not be happy with the humble Shire. She will want more, now that she had accepted her heritage.”
Gandalf nodded. “It was bound to happen eventually. The Shire is no place for a Man or Elf.”
“I plan on offering her to stay here, seeing as she has no parents of her own. And when we leave, she can go with us to Valinor.”
“No parents? What has happened to her mother?”
“Deirdra never made it back from the Shire,” Elrond said blankly. “She was most likely killed, or ran off with the Man who is Raina’s father. I have not been able to find out which.”
Gandalf sighed. “She will not care. I believe that she has resented her parents for some time now.”
Elrond nodded. And that, was that.
“Raina!” he called back, hugging her tightly as she jumped onto his bed.
“Oh, Frodo…” she said, trying to keep tears from spilling over her cheeks. “I thought I was going to lose you…”
“Miss Maethoriel has barely left you side… neither has Master Gamgee,” Gandalf said with a laugh, as Sam ran in.
“Mister Frodo!” he yelled, running to his side.
It wasn’t another second before there was, “Frodo! Frodo!” being heard from inside the room, when Merry and Pippin ran in.
It was a happy reunion, and it was what Raina thought about for the rest of the day, until she was tucked into bed and ready for sleep. Then, she began to think of her strange encounter with the Elf, Legolas.
She sat up, and grabbed her pack from beside her bed, careful not to disturb Frodo as he slept beside her.
In her pack, she reached for the bottom, where she felt warm metal brush her skin. She grabbed the Lóestel, and looked at it in her hand. The pendant bore no jewel, but it was beautiful still. Vines crept over the elongated wings, and partly up the chain.
With few tears falling, Raina wrapped the silver chain around her neck, and closed the clasp for the first time. The metal was warm, as if she had worn the Elvenstar pendant her whole life. She took a breath in, and if felt as if new life was entering her. She felt strong, and more comfortable where she was than she had ever been. But, she felt less comfortable in her Hobbit clothes, and decided that she would find something Elven to wear while she was here. And with that, she fell asleep to the sound of many waterfalls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“His strength returns.”
“Yet the wound will never fully heal.”
Gandalf and Elrond stood looking out over Rivendell in the latter’s study.
“And yet to have come so far, still bearing the Ring, the Hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil."
"It is a burden he should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Frodo." Gandalf said warningly.
"Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the east — his eye is fixed on Rivendell. And Saruman, you tell me, has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin."
"His treachery runs deeper than you know. By foul craft Saruman has crossed Orcs with goblin-men; he's breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard. An army that can move in sunlight and cover great distance at speed. Saruman is coming for the Ring."
Elrond looked out of his balcony, over Rivendell. He could not bring any more harm to his people. There were so few, anyway. They could not fight, nor protect the Ring.
"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard!"
As they watched, an assortment of Men, Elves, and Dwarves rode into Rivendell. "This peril belongs to all Middle-Earth. They must decide now how to end it." Elrond said finally.
Legolas walked into the courtyard, and greeted the Elves. He turned to introduce Raina to his father and kin, who spoke to them fluently in Elvish.
“She has chosen her path as well, you know.” Elrond said to Gandalf, not turning from Raina. “She bears her Elvenstar now, Lóestel, and shall not age. I felt the presence of it in the back of my mind last night, as she placed it on herself for the very first time. She walks with the grace of and Elf, and will not be happy with the humble Shire. She will want more, now that she had accepted her heritage.”
Gandalf nodded. “It was bound to happen eventually. The Shire is no place for a Man or Elf.”
“I plan on offering her to stay here, seeing as she has no parents of her own. And when we leave, she can go with us to Valinor.”
“No parents? What has happened to her mother?”
“Deirdra never made it back from the Shire,” Elrond said blankly. “She was most likely killed, or ran off with the Man who is Raina’s father. I have not been able to find out which.”
Gandalf sighed. “She will not care. I believe that she has resented her parents for some time now.”
Elrond nodded. And that, was that.