A Light From The Shadows

Well, That Went Wrong Quickly

A.N: A million thank you's to the always incredible @entishramblings for helping me wrap my head around this idea and make it into something better. And everyone go read her fic FATE!!

         "Ouch!"

          Calenglîn, lost in thoughts of the abundance of food waiting for her at home, had walked right into something, hitting her nose. She ricocheted backward, sprawling on the ground at the feet of what she now saw was a... human?

         He offered her a hand to stand. "So much for the gracefulness of elves."

          She blushed, giggling, as his hand drew her close so that she was gazing up into his eyes.              

         "Who are you?"

          He flashed his most charming smile. "Eddard of Rohan. May I ask your name?"

         "Calenglîn. Of Lothlorien, obviously."

          Eddard laughed, and with the sound of his laughter, Calenglîn swore she could hear her future with him calling to her.

          Aeri leaned back, the wooden legs of her chair creaking as she shifted, stretching.

In the next room, her mother and father were speaking in low whispers, the kind that adults use when they know something is wrong, but they don't want you to realize.

Eddard leaned closer to his wife. "There's something out there. Something evil."

"It's Rhugar. I can feel it." Calenglîn whispered.

    Eddard nodded. "We have to leave now. We have to protect Aeri."

         And as the human's brain whirred with plans to protect his daughter, it also took him back to a day, many years earlier.

    The elf grabbed her daggers and bustled into the next room. "Aeri! We're leaving. Grab all your weapons."

    Aeri leaned back too far in surprise and crashed to the floor.

    "What? Why?!"

    "No time," Eddard brushed past her, sheathing his sword and donning his shoes, "we have to go."

    Aeri stood and rushed to her room, grabbing her pack and stuffing mementos inside- the carved oliphaunt that her uncle had brought her decades ago, the lucky rock she'd found in a stream one day, her journal, and of course her twin daggers, given to her by her mother. She strapped them on as she cinched the bag closed, grabbing her cloak from its hook on the wall on her way out.

Aeri emerged into the hallway to see Eddard frantically waving her out the door, eyes wide. Calenglîn was shouldering her pack as Aeri burst outside, hands coming to rest on her daughter's shoulders.

"What's going on?"

"Something bad is coming, Aeri, can you sense it?"

Aeri nodded.

Calenglîn continued, "it's a lieutenant of Mordor."

Aeri's fists tightened. "Is he coming for us?"

Eddard's eyes were sad as he gazed at his wife, as her silence grew and his daughter turned to him.

"Dad? Is he coming for us?"

Eddard nodded.

"So what do we do?"

"We run," said Calenglîn.