‹ Prequel: A Mistake
Sequel: An Acceptance ›
A Burden
Anna
Blinking several times, she found that her horse’s pace had slowed, and Legolas was looking up at her in concern.
“What?” she asked groggily, forgetting her manners for a moment.
“Manen nalyë?” he asked as he walked the horse straight. (What’s wrong?)
“Im maer,” I said simply, shrugging it off. “Man achí?” (I’m fine, what happened?)
“You fell asleep,” he said, moving the conversation back to the Common Language once he knew there needed to be no secrets. “And you spoke. Of Frodo, and Sam. I think you were telling them to-”
Just as he was speaking, an elderly woman approached the couple. Raina turned her attention to her as she looked up.
“Miss,” the old woman started, her teeth seeming to chatter.
“Raina is fine,” Raina supplied.
“Raina,” she said, looking back up at her. “I was simply wondering if I could be bold enough to ask something of you?”
Raina nodded, having no idea where this was going.
“I was thinking... remembering, really… that you looked like that Elf, from the stories… Anna… Anna Avari,” the woman said, looking up. “I was wondering if you were of her blood?”
Raina stared at the woman blankly for a moment before answering. “I’m an orphan,” she whispered, the wind carrying the message to the old woman. “I do not know who I am of.”
The woman looked at her normally for the first time, and a wave of pity ran across her face, before she looked back down. “I am sorry to hear that,” she said simply, before walking away.
Raina stared ahead silently for a moment, before thinking of her first question for Legolas. She had too many overdue questions for the Elf. But when she looked over at him, he was in his own train of thought, and she didn’t want to interrupt.
So instead, she watched the Elf, as his eyes flicked back and forth, as if he were reading something. After a moment, he muttered to himself.
“I no hací zinvǒl,” he whispered. (That would make sense)
“Man no?” (What would?)
“Lû nuanen,” he said softly, looking up at Raina. (Your mother)
“What?” Raina asked in surprise. “You don’t mean to say this woman…”
Legolas nodded, looking back ahead. “It just seems… to make sense. Do you know who Anna Avari was?”
Raina shook her head slowly.
“She was an Elf, born with the gift of understanding all tongues.”
“I can do that!” Raina gasped. “Well, at least, somewhat…”
Legolas nodded. “I know. Which is what got me thinking. But back to the story. She traveled the world, trying to solve disputes between races by using her gift. This was at least a thousand years ago, though. But at some point, she just… disappeared.”
Raina leaned in. “What happened to her?”
Legolas looked up at her. “This is what makes sense. During her time abroad, some said that she was constantly plagued by visions of a Man.” At this point, Raina gasped, but made sure Legolas didn’t hear. She wanted him to finish before she told him of her newest vision of the Man. “A Man who hadn’t been born yet. When she disappeared, the Man in her visions was about thirty, the age that she looked to be.”
“They figure she went to Gondor to find the Man she had seen, and some say that they ran away together, against her father’s wishes. Which for her people, was against the law. They say that she escaped the law of her people, but not the fates. She died less than two years later.”
Legolas looked up at Raina. “They always tell the children that story to keep them from running away. They want to scare them into believing that the fates will come for them if they stray from their path.”
“But Legolas!” Raina cried. “This fits! This could be my mother, my father!” She caught herself before she got too excited.
“But it doesn’t really matter,” she said, leaning back. “They left me. They didn’t care. So neither will I.”
Legolas looked up at her softly, and was about to rest his hand on her leg for comfort, but Raina pulled at the reins of her horse and rode to the front of the crowd, and away from the feeling of abandonment.
“What?” she asked groggily, forgetting her manners for a moment.
“Manen nalyë?” he asked as he walked the horse straight. (What’s wrong?)
“Im maer,” I said simply, shrugging it off. “Man achí?” (I’m fine, what happened?)
“You fell asleep,” he said, moving the conversation back to the Common Language once he knew there needed to be no secrets. “And you spoke. Of Frodo, and Sam. I think you were telling them to-”
Just as he was speaking, an elderly woman approached the couple. Raina turned her attention to her as she looked up.
“Miss,” the old woman started, her teeth seeming to chatter.
“Raina is fine,” Raina supplied.
“Raina,” she said, looking back up at her. “I was simply wondering if I could be bold enough to ask something of you?”
Raina nodded, having no idea where this was going.
“I was thinking... remembering, really… that you looked like that Elf, from the stories… Anna… Anna Avari,” the woman said, looking up. “I was wondering if you were of her blood?”
Raina stared at the woman blankly for a moment before answering. “I’m an orphan,” she whispered, the wind carrying the message to the old woman. “I do not know who I am of.”
The woman looked at her normally for the first time, and a wave of pity ran across her face, before she looked back down. “I am sorry to hear that,” she said simply, before walking away.
Raina stared ahead silently for a moment, before thinking of her first question for Legolas. She had too many overdue questions for the Elf. But when she looked over at him, he was in his own train of thought, and she didn’t want to interrupt.
So instead, she watched the Elf, as his eyes flicked back and forth, as if he were reading something. After a moment, he muttered to himself.
“I no hací zinvǒl,” he whispered. (That would make sense)
“Man no?” (What would?)
“Lû nuanen,” he said softly, looking up at Raina. (Your mother)
“What?” Raina asked in surprise. “You don’t mean to say this woman…”
Legolas nodded, looking back ahead. “It just seems… to make sense. Do you know who Anna Avari was?”
Raina shook her head slowly.
“She was an Elf, born with the gift of understanding all tongues.”
“I can do that!” Raina gasped. “Well, at least, somewhat…”
Legolas nodded. “I know. Which is what got me thinking. But back to the story. She traveled the world, trying to solve disputes between races by using her gift. This was at least a thousand years ago, though. But at some point, she just… disappeared.”
Raina leaned in. “What happened to her?”
Legolas looked up at her. “This is what makes sense. During her time abroad, some said that she was constantly plagued by visions of a Man.” At this point, Raina gasped, but made sure Legolas didn’t hear. She wanted him to finish before she told him of her newest vision of the Man. “A Man who hadn’t been born yet. When she disappeared, the Man in her visions was about thirty, the age that she looked to be.”
“They figure she went to Gondor to find the Man she had seen, and some say that they ran away together, against her father’s wishes. Which for her people, was against the law. They say that she escaped the law of her people, but not the fates. She died less than two years later.”
Legolas looked up at Raina. “They always tell the children that story to keep them from running away. They want to scare them into believing that the fates will come for them if they stray from their path.”
“But Legolas!” Raina cried. “This fits! This could be my mother, my father!” She caught herself before she got too excited.
“But it doesn’t really matter,” she said, leaning back. “They left me. They didn’t care. So neither will I.”
Legolas looked up at her softly, and was about to rest his hand on her leg for comfort, but Raina pulled at the reins of her horse and rode to the front of the crowd, and away from the feeling of abandonment.