Lost Tales from Middle-earth

Dream in Imladris

The figure approached Imladris, where Elrond Halfelven dwelt. Twin silver swords, made long ago by smiths of the Noldor, in the Blessed Realm, were in her hands. A cloak covered her, and her face could not be seen.

When she arrived at the Gates, two guards stopped her.

"Who are you? Name yourself, stranger." Said the first one

"I am the shadow, I am the hunter, I am the Orc slayer and the shapeshifter. I am me, me is I, and ye know my name, though perhaps ye know not that I belong to it."

The two soldiers looked each other in the eye, and the second one, who had not yet spoken, said:

"Rhaweth. You belong not here. You are not welcomed in these fair halls, skin-changer. You are a danger to all those around you. Do you not remember what happened, three hundred years ago? I was there. I saw with my own eyes the mutilated bodies, covered in gore and in blood, their arms ripped, their eyes clawed out, their throats were but a bloody mess. There was a child among them. He was innocent; they all were, and you slaughtered them. You are a monster. Flee now, before I kill you to avenge those whom you unjustly killed."

"You say that it was my fault, and it was. But do not lay all the blame upon me. I was chained inside a cave that had been locked by myself. It was raining and that group of Humans was seeking for a shelter, so they unlocked my prison. 'Twas a full Moon, and then I cannot control myself. Their scent woke the Beast inside of me, I broke my chains, and killed them. I never asked for any of it to happen, so do not judge me, young child."

"Do not think yourself better than me, for I have not slayed innocent Men who could not have known what would happen, only the ones in battle who knew of their fate. You deserve no pity. You are no better than the monsters you hunt. Never come back here."

The son of Elrond Halfelven son of Eärendil the Mariner, Elrohir twin of Elladan and brother of Arwen, was walking in the gardens when he heard the guards arguing with someone at the gate. Intrigued, he came closer, and what was his surprise when he recognized the "stranger". At once, he spoke:

"Mindomen, Berthon, let her in. Do ye not remember that she is my friend? Open the gate. It should not be closed to those who seek aid and shelter, for our guest is clearly no orc. Let her in."

She smiled gratefully at him and entered. He led her to the palace, into a special room that his father had prepared for her. She bade him a good night and closed the door. She lay in her bed, and sleep came to her. As she was an elf, she did not need much of it, but she had not slept for weeks and was exhausted.

—

The elven maiden fled, a dark shape pursuing her. She was alone.

She was chased by a fell creature of the Dark Lord Morgoth, who had but a year ago been captured and defeated. It was a Wolf, a terrible one, dark and giant, greater than a Bear and fiercer than a Warg.

But one problem remained. She was unwilling to come to Mordor.

Alcariniel was swift, her light feet a caress to the grass upon which she ran. She knew that soon she would falter, for she had now run for many hours, and that if so she pursued she soon would be breathless and unable to fight. She stopped, and turned, facing the Wolf. Swifter than lightning, her daggers, which she always wore at her belt, were in her hands. She charged towards the beast, alone and with one thought only. 

She would fight relentlessly, even if it meant her death.