The Whispers of Valinor

The Kingdom

POV: Althaea

The wind was gentle as it blew across the vast plains, the scent of the earth mingling with the faint, salty tang of the distant ocean.
Althaea's silver hair fluttered behind her like a river of moonlight as she rode beside Legolas, their horses moving in perfect harmony.
She was young, only a hundred years old in Elven terms a child, still learning, still growing but the vastness of Valinor's beauty made her feel as if she had existed here forever.

At that age, she was more than capable of riding with Legolas, the prince of Mirkwood. She felt free on horseback, the wind kissing her face, the rhythmic pounding of hooves beneath her like a heartbeat. The vast lands of Valinor stretched before them, untamed and full of beauty.

But the joy of their ride was tempered by something deeper, a shadow lurking at the edges of her thoughts. Something had changed.
She couldn't put it into words, but she had felt it for some time an unsettling stillness, as though the very air itself held its breath.

"You seem troubled, Althaea," Legolas said softly, his voice cutting through the silence that had enveloped her.
He turned his head slightly, his sharp, elven eyes noting the furrow in her brow.

"I don't know what it is," she replied, her voice carrying the weight of unspoken worry. "It's as if... as if something is going to happen"

Legolas's gaze grew distant. "Valinor has always been at peace. The tides of time have been kind to us."

Althaea nodded, but she couldn't shake the feeling. Her thoughts drifted back to the kingdom filled with laughter, her parents rule with a grace and wisdom that the Elves of Middle earth admired.

The memories felt so distant now, like a dream she couldn't grasp.

As they neared the edge of the kingdom, the city of Eldarath, an unnerving silence settled over the land. The golden spires of the palace gleamed in the afternoon sun, but there was something wrong. Althaea's heart quickened as she urged her horse forward, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of life.

Legolas's voice broke through her thoughts again. "Where are the sentries?"

Althaea's eyes narrowed. The streets of Eldarath were eerily empty. The usual hum of life traders, children playing, Elves going about their duties was missing. The quiet was deafening.

And then they reached the palace gates.

The grand entrance, once adorned with flowers and bright tapestries, now stood silent. The heavy oak doors were wide open, yet there was no movement inside.

"Althaea..." Legolas's voice was a whisper, filled with dread.

Together, they dismounted and entered the palace. The interior was even more unsettling empty halls, the marble floors untouched, the soft echo of their footsteps like whispers in an abandoned temple. It was as though the kingdom itself had been abandoned.

They made their way to the royal chambers, where the throne room should have been.

But there, in the center of the grand hall, the throne sat empty.
The seats of the king and queen Althaea's parents were vacant.
The tapestries that once depicted scenes of triumph and prosperity now hung lifeless.

"Where are they?" Althaea's voice trembled as she reached to touch the cold, polished stone of the throne.

No answer.

And then, like a dark cloud sweeping over the land, the truth hit her. Her parents King Elentir and Queen Elandra were gone.

POV: Aurêlia

Aurêlia, only a toddler when the king and queen disappeared, had been sheltered from the weight of this loss. She had grown under the care of Althaea, always watching her older sister with awe, feeling the responsibility of leadership shift onto her like an invisible mantle.

But what she couldn't see what none of them truly understood was the depth of the sacrifice Althaea had made. She had been forced to grow up far too quickly. The kingdom had needed a ruler, and Althaea had stepped into the void, taking on the mantle of authority before her time, bearing the grief and the burden of loss alone.

Aurêlia didn't remember her parents. She only had stories and distant memories of their smiles and voices, faded like the sun setting over the sea. Yet she had always felt the absence, like a gaping hole in her heart.

•

POV: Ithara

Ithara, the youngest of the three sisters, had never even known their parents. She had been but a newborn when they vanished. To her, their absence was nothing more than a whisper in the wind a story told by others. She had never felt the weight of responsibility that Althaea had carried for so long, and yet she could see the toll it had taken on her.

In Ithara's eyes, Althaea had always been both a sister and a mother. Althaea had taught her everything how to walk, how to speak, how to understand the land and the stars. The love they shared was unspoken but profound.

But now, as the years passed and their kingdom lingered in an endless state of grief, Ithara knew that there was something more something hidden beneath the surface of their lives.

• end of POV

Althaea stood alone in the throne room, her hands clenched into fists. She had fought so hard to hold the kingdom together, to be the leader they all needed. But with each passing year, the weight of it all was breaking her.

"I will find them," she whispered, her voice filled with determination and sorrow. "I will bring them back, even if it means stepping into the very heart of darkness."

The emptiness of the palace seemed to echo her words, but deep within her, Althaea knew the truth she could no longer protect her kingdom alone. A darkness was coming, one that none of them could have foreseen. And she would have to face it, whether she was ready or not.

Years had passed, and Althaea had held her ground. The kingdom of Eldarath flourished in its own way though it was never quite the same. There had been moments of joy, too. Ithara had blossomed into a wild and curious soul, learning to lead alongside her. Aurêlia, though she too carried a weight of sorrow, had proven to be a brilliant diplomat, easing tensions between the kingdoms of Middle earth.

And yet, despite their best efforts, the kingdom never felt complete. It always felt like something was missing a hole in the heart of Valinor that no one could fill.

One evening, as Althaea sat at the edge of the palace gardens, gazing at the sunset, Ithara joined her, her presence like a warm breeze.

"You've been carrying this for so long, Althaea," Aurêlia said softly, sitting beside her. "You don't have to do it alone."

Althaea's voice broke, the quiet strength she had worn for so long cracking. "I don't know how to let go. How can I, when I am the only one who remembers what we had? The only one who remembers them?"

Tears welled in Althaea's eyes, and for the first time in centuries, she allowed herself to feel the full weight of her grief. Aurêlia, always the wild and free spirit, took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "We will carry it together, Althaea. You're No more alone."

And in that moment, Althaea finally allowed herself to cry not for her kingdom, but for her parents, for the family that had been lost and the weight she had carried for far too long.

A New Dawn

The next morning, the sun rose over Eldarath with a sense of renewed hope.

The kingdom was still grieving, still lost without its rulers. But Althaea, with her sisters by her side, knew that the road ahead was uncertain, and that the future of Valinor lay not just in her hands but in theirs. Together, they would rebuild, and perhaps, in time, they would discover the truth of their parents disappearance.

But for now, there was a bond between the three of them a bond forged in love, in sacrifice, and in the hope of a brighter tomorrow...