It was now 2956 of the Third Age, the great evil was killed, the Dwarves had Erebor back, and there was finally peace. The Lord of Rivendell had witnessed the wars that came by, The Last Alliance and The Battle of the Five Armies. He fought in one and helped in the other, but he preferred the peace he had now.
He thought back to the year 3029 often, he thought of the woman that stayed in his home for a few years, before she returned to her home. He never figured out what she was, but he did know her name, Maria. Maria always shocked him with everything she did, she was gentle and yet horrifying at the same time. She never feared to tell him anything that rested on her mind, except what she was, but he was about to find out.
In the early morning of Mersday, when the Lord was on his way to his study he was stopped by Lindir, holding a basket in his arms, "My Lord!" The Lord looked at him, "What is it, Lindir?" Lindir handed him the basket, the Lord gave him an odd look but took the basket. He looked at the basket and saw a baby. "She was left at the front gates with a note addressed to you." Elrond walked into his study, Lindir following behind him.
Elrond placed the basket on his desk and turned to the other elf, "Let me see the note." Lindir handed him the note, to which the Lord took quickly and broke the wax seal, reading it.
"The Lord of Rivendell,
If you have gotten this letter then I am dead. After years of staying with you, I had left for my home and over the years I had fallen in love. I had fallen pregnant a while later, the baby in the basket with this letter is my child, Kleo. She regretfully is the last of her kind, the Merfolk. Our kind had remained hidden from the rest for a long time, that was until Sauron tried his hand at capturing one, that was how I ended up in your care. I don't know what they are planning now, but the Orcs are after us again, they will want her to use the power she possesses for unspeakable things. There is much that a Blood Moon Mer can achieve, teach her to use her gift for good and keep her safe. She is all that is left.
Your friend, Maria."
By the end of the note, he was crying, not only for the death of his friend but for her kind and Kleo. He set the letter down and uncovered Kleo's head. He saw the same eyes and skin as her mother, only her hair was white. He saw the fin-like ears, they were a beautiful shade of blue, then he saw the gills on her neck, a set of three on each side.
"Kleo, the last Mer of Middle-Earth, welcome to Rivendell." He heard a gasp from Lindir, who he had forgotten that was in the study. Elrond lifted the young child from the basket and smiled when he saw the elven-styled type clothes on her body. He was also grateful for the fact she had human legs for the moment.
"Lindir, have a large pond made in the gardens. We have a new member of the family." He turned to the other elf, who smiled at the sight of his Lord with the little Mer. "Yes my Lord." He walked out of the study and began the preparations for the pond and a room for the Mer.
Elrond swayed a little while holding Kelo, "I will treat you as my own Kleo. You will be safe here, just as your mother intended. I promise."
