°∴,*⋅✲✦ ( ♕ ) ✦✲⋅*,∴°

━━━━»•» act one. age of ruins

07. a taste of freedom «•« ━━━━

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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ third age ━━ year 2949

𓇻 eriador; imladris {rivendell}

*.                           ✦                          °.

HER SATIN DRESS WAS STAINED AND DIRTY BUT ELGARAIN COULDN'T CARE LESS. She'd followed Estel through the forest, away from the valley of Imladris even though he hadn't revealed where he was taking her yet. Not that she cared much, simply being away from the suffocating feeling of her responsibilities was a bliss. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so far away from the protected borders of Rivendell. Sometimes Gyda let her take her horse for a gallop through the hills, but never without guard. So being this far away and without Galion or Daros watching her back at every moment felt so incredibly freeing.

Estel walked with sure and large strides, clearly having a destination in mind. Though every time she'd asked him about it, he refused to answer and so she'd decided to ask him about other things, everything that came to mind. And no matter how strange it might seem there never seemed to be any judgement in his grey eyes, only amusement and, at times, curiosity.

"Do you ever feel out of place in Rivendell?" She asked as she walked beside him through the greenery. "Humans and Elves are greatly different after all."

He laughed softly and pondered her question for a moment. "At first I felt like I might never measure up, which is why I trained until my hands blistered." He looked at his hands as if he might still see the wounds, but now they'd healed and his hands looked capable and strong. "But after a while you learn not to care so much and you merely try to be capable enough for you."

She frowned at that and wondered what it must be like to live with such ease. To never try and live up to the expectations of others, but instead try to be good enough for yourself...She'd imagined it would feel free and maybe that was why he seemed so unburdened.

"It seems to me like you are the one who is trapped by the expectations of their people," Estel said, his voice soft and careful, as though he'd wanted to ask about it for a while but was afraid she might shut him out.

A small sigh left her lips. "I wish I could be free of expectations but as heir to the throne it simply does not seem possible."

He didn't seem surprised at the reveal of her title, which surprised her a little. He'd known all along, but never called her by her title. Perhaps some part of him had sensed her unease about it, or maybe he'd simply wanted her to tell him on her own terms.

"Shouldn't you, as a ruler, be free to set your own boundaries?" He questioned, his grey eyes studying her with that ever watchful gaze of his.

She smiled sadly. "I don't believe we are granted such freedom. I'm bound to the path my forefathers set out for me. Their blood is my own. It's what gave me the right to rule my people in the first place."

They walked on in silence as Estel considered those words. The ground beneath them slowly started getting steeper, until she realized they were walking up the side of a hill. The trees grew fewer in number and the golden rays of the evening sun drew long shadows on the ground.

"So, will you rule the same way your father has?" He finally broke the silence.

"I can hardly remember him," she whispered, the familiar weight of grief appearing in her heart, as it always did when she thought of Gil-Galad.

He took a deep breath. "I don't remember my father either," he said then. "So I try to make my own path."

She looked at him, watching as he offered her a reassuring smile and she couldn't help but smile back at him. Despite their different upbringings, they had suffered much of the same pain and it brought her an odd kind of comfort to discuss her fate with him.

"That doesn't sound so bad," she said, her smile growing.

"It's not," he agreed. "But let us no longer worry about the future. You wanted to be taken somewhere well..." He let the scenery speak for itself.

Her breath was stolen from her lungs at the sight before her. He'd taken her to the very top of the cliffs that formed the barrier around Rivendell. From here she had an immaculate view of the entire valley, as well as the Misty Mountains in the distance. And when she turned around she could see the sun setting behind the trees stretching out like a green blanket draped over the landscape.

"It's..." she shook her head, unable to find the words to describe it.

She turned to look at him and found herself wishing she'd brought her pencils along. The last rays of sunlight turned his brown hair to gold and his grey eyes shone like jewels. Quickly she averted her gaze, afraid she might start blushing if she lingered any longer.

Instead she took a seat in the grass, taking in the view surrounding her with a smile on her face.

Estel sat down beside her, leaning his arms on his knees. "This is my favorite place," he muttered softly, almost as though he hadn't meant for her to hear it.

But she had heard it and for a moment she felt strangely flattered for being taken here. To enjoy this wonderful view with him and share in what she assumed had been a place for him to withdraw.

"I can imagine why," she replied softly as she let her eyes wander over the houses of Rivendell. They weren't much bigger than her fingertips from this distance. And with the last rays of sunlight the valley bathed in golden light, seeming as though it was set ablaze with bright flames.

They sat in comfortable silence as slowly the sun went down and darkness gathered around them. One by one the stars came out, small lights in the dark blue dome above their heads. Elves loved the light but they loved the light of the stars the most. From a young age she'd been taught all their names and learned to read the map they formed in the heavens. Though, she only cared for the feasts that were held in honor of the stars. For her favorite light had always been the golden rays of the sun. She felt more comfortable in their warmth than beneath the cold and pale light of the stars. Nothing was hidden in the sunlight, just like she always felt like she was an open book for the world to read, wearing her heart on her sleeve. She wished to be a Queen filled with warmth for her people, a guiding light in dark times and not someone locked away in a stone cold hall, far out of reach.

"What is Lindon like?" Estel broke the peaceful silence, slightly startling her.

She smiled at the memory of her home. "Even more beautiful than Imladris," she said, then frowned. "Or perhaps that's only in my childhood memory."

He laughed softly, waiting for her to continue.

Taking a deep breath she recalled the many paintings she'd made and chose to describe those. "It's rough and often cold because of the wind that blows from the sea but it's green, because the wind brings rain as well. Green hills as far as the eye can see, only interrupted by the Blue Mountains. Mithlond is old, much older than Imladris. There are cracks in the foundations of the city, ever plagued by the salt water of the sea. But our people are craftsmen and they rebuilt every house even more beautiful than the one before. And always the smell of salt water lingers."

Grey eyes studied her closely. "Sounds like you miss it."

And she realized then he was right, she did miss it. Usually, when thinking of home, she only ever thought of the responsibilities waiting for her there. The expectations of her mother and the weight of the crown. But describing her home through the paintings she so often drew, made her heart ache with homesickness.

She swallowed the lump that had appeared in her throat and quickly returned the question. "Do you remember your home, before you came to Rivendell?"

He shook his head. "I was only a baby and my mother never spoke of it."

She could hear the sorrow in his voice, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it felt like to not know where you belonged, to not have any memories come to mind when someone mentioned home...

"Maybe you'll make your own home someday," she offered, smiling softly.

He stared at her, his eyes piercing her very soul as a thousand thoughts seemed to run through his mind. Though he chose to only voice one of them. "Maybe," he murmured.

He held her gaze and she felt her breath catch in her throat and then they both quickly looked away. A cold wind breezed through her thin dress, making her shiver and shaking her from the wonderful dream this evening had been. Darkness had well and truly fallen now and suddenly she realized just how long they'd been gone.

"We should go," she said, getting to her feet.

He nodded, standing up as well. "We should."

"Gyda is going to murder me," she mumbled, looking at the dark sky.

Slowly a grin spread on his face. "Then let's make sure we get home quick."

The uncomfortable tension that had lingered between them shattered at the teasing tone in his voice. She arched a brow at him. "What did you have in mind?"

He pretended to be thinking, but part of her guessed he had already made up his mind. "Whoever gets down the hill first will get to pick a test for the other to fulfill."

A thousand ideas immediately started to form in her mind. Then she threw a look at the slope waiting for them. It was dark and Estel knew this terrain better than she did, but she was an Elf and had better vision in the dark, which had to count for something. "I accept your challenge," she said with a playful grin.

He flashed her an equally playful smirk, before darting off into the tree line without another word.

She scoffed, but followed suit, jumping over tree roots and rocks as she went. The wind made her dress trail behind her like a cloud of white satin and a laugh escaped her lips before she could stop herself. She could hear Estel's footsteps echo from somewhere out of the darkness, but she couldn't see him. It sounded as though he was somewhere ahead of her, which was only possible if he'd taken a hidden trail she'd failed to see.

But she wasn't about to lose against a human and so she picked up the pace, lifting her skirts while sprinting down the hill at high speed. When she was almost at the end of the slope, however, the sound of hooves came out of the darkness. She frowned and skirted to a halt. In the distance she saw a bright flash of silver and only when the horse came closer did she realise it was the glimmer of a sword caught in the light of the moon.

As the horse got closer she saw it was Gyda who was seated in the saddle, her fiery gaze focused on Estel as she galloped straight at him with her sword drawn. And before she could stop herself, a laugh escaped her lips. Her guard had mistaken him as a treat.

Elgarain couldn't contain her laughter as Gyda jumped from her horse and marched towards him. Fire made her eyes burn and she couldn't blame Estel for taking a step backwards. He opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but Gyda gave him no chance to. She grabbed a hold of his tunic and put her blade to his throat.

"You dare attack Aranal Elgarain of Lindon!" She hissed.

The young Elf was doubling over with laughter now, it rang through the forest like the sound of a thousand tiny bells, loud enough for Gyda to finally hear it. She faltered in surprise and turned to look at Elgarain, though her hold on Estel didn't weaken. "Aranel?" She questioned.

Trying to catch her breath, Elgarain managed to stutter a few words: "He's not-" she hiccupped. "He's not attacking me, Dôl lost lîn."

"A strange man, giving chase to you in the darkness of night?" Gyda snapped, "what shall we call that Selda?"

The last word was spoken in a mocking tone but Elgarain was too amused to care. "It's called a friendly challenge of "who will reach the bottom of the hill first"?"

"And what shall we call princesses who trick their sworn guards to go frolicking with strangers in the dark?" Gyda spoke with a burning fury.

All her amusement disappeared like snow beneath the sun. Instead she felt the familiar fury she'd come to associate with trying to reason with her guard. "It's not my fault you are so scared of making a mistake that you wish to be told of my every movement! Is it really so wrong of me to make a friend without your knowledge! I'm your Aranel, not your prisoner!"

For a moment Elgarain thought to see pain flash through Gyda's gaze but before she could feel guilty about it, it was gone again. Gyda released Estel from her hold and marched up to Elgarain, her eyes stone cold. "If for once, you might act like the Aranel, Elgarain, I should not have to treat you otherwise. Your duty is to your people, your duty is to become High-Queen. You play pretend to say otherwise. You act like a reckless Elfling. You know what's out there, you have seen what evil can do and you act as if you are invincible to it all. Your father has made great sacrifices for Lindon's safety, for your safety. He has died for it. So has my father. I have fought that evil and for you to disregard all my intentions of keeping you safe are insulting and in no way, how a future queen should behave."

Elgarain winced, feeling as though she'd been slapped across the face but Gyda noticed none of it, instead having turned back to Estel. "I assume you hail from Imladris too if you have met Elgarain. You have found yourself here, you shall bring yourself back."

By the time Gyda turned back to her, Elgarain had managed to carefully mask her pain and let her guard take her by the arm and drag her to her horse like a child. "Let's go."

The way back to Rivendell was spent in silence and during the quiet Elgarain desperately tried to capture her emotions and push them away, deep within herself. She knew she went too far with her words but how could she not when Gyda kept treating her like the little girl she'd been when they left Lindon? And besides, she wasn't the only one who said something way out of line...

Gyda's words kept repeating themselves in her mind, over and over again, like some cruel joke. Her absolute worst fears seemed to have become reality. Her people knew she was a fraud, knew she played pretend, knew she wasn't worthy of her title...Every word was branded into her very soul, for she'd been thinking it all her life and now that the words had been spoken out loud there was no going back.

Elgarain lost track of time as they drove through the darkness. But sooner than she'd thought, the lights of Imladris appeared between the trees. A couple of guards stood by the entrance of the bridge and Gyda halted her horse beside them. "Please inform Lord Elrond and the others the Aranel has been found. I shall escort her to her chambers myself."

The guard nodded and took off towards Lord Elrond's study.

Gyda guided her horse, Ilya, towards the stables and Elgarain noticed the figure of Galion waiting in the shadows. When he saw the two of them approach, his usual grin faded. Instead he simply nodded at them and departed the stables.

The two of them dismounted and Gyda gave her a push towards the entrance of the south corridor where her chambers were located.

Elgarain tried her best to keep looking indifferent but it was like trying to contain a storm and she feared what might happen if she let go of her grip. She walked fast, hoping to reach her room before any more damage was done.

Only when her door came into her sights did she feel like she could breathe again. She opened it, ready to disappear inside but before she could close the door behind her, Gyda slipped through, entering her room.

"What are you doing?" Elgarain questioned, her tone sharp.

Gyda didn't reply, instead moved towards the open balcony doors and shut them with an audible bang before moving to close the silk curtains, all while Elgarain watched her with annoyance written all over her face.

When the room was closed off enough for Gyda's liking, the guard turned to look at Elgarain and she braced herself for whatever was coming next. "Making friends is not a bad thing Elgarain." Gyda rarely used her given name when addressing her and it felt as though she was being scolded by her mother. "and I should not...am not mad about that. But you cannot act so carelessly with your safety."

For a second she felt surprised, but she was quick to move her mask of indifference back into place. "If you would stop treating me like a child, I will consider it. I'm not a little girl anymore. Besides, it was you who taught me how to protect myself."

"Elgarain, you can barely keep up in training." Gyda sighed, "I know you have made progress, but a real enemy will not stop and wait for you to fight back. Besides, as long as I live, you shall never have to even face anyone alone."

"I've told you a sword is too heavy for me! But you refuse to let me practice with a spear!" She snapped but as soon as the words left her mouth she realized this was exactly what Gyda meant whenever she called her childish. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to gather herself.

"You should be able to defend yourself with anything. Be it sword or spear or even a stone." Gyda spoke. "But you should only need it when I am not there. I will always be there."

It was absurd to her that an Elf like her, with so much talent, would spend her time taking care of a princess doomed to fail and her fears escaped her lips before she could stop herself: "Why do you even care? I'm princess of a people in ruin, daughter of a defeated king. Why do you care so much about what happens to me?"

Gyda didn't hesitate to answer. "Because I must." She took a trembling breath. "Because I promised."

Surprise washed over her. "Promised to whom?"

Ghosts seemed to haunt Gyda's hazel eyes as she tried to form a reply: "During the battle of the Last Alliance between Elves and Men, when my father had fallen..." she swallowed. "When he fell, I was there. I knew what my father was preparing me for. I've known my whole life. I never believed the responsibility would fall on my shoulders so soon though."

"What responsibility?" Elgarain questioned softly, fearing the answer.

"I vow to stand beside her, be her counsel, be her protector. Her shield and sword." She spoke the words with such ease it almost seemed like they were carved into her very heart. "I made the same vow my father made before me, and his father before him."

Elgarain opened her mouth, only to close it again, words failing her at the revelation of the weight Gyda had carried all this time. "You made a sacred vow to protect an incompetent princess?" She finally asked. It was not an accusation but instead a declaration of the self-doubt that had been plaguing her all her life.

"I made a vow to the future High-Queen I know you will become." Gyda replied with certainty. "Besides it seems I'm not the most competent at protecting said incompetent princess."

"Well," she mumbled, guilt enveloping her, "it's not like she made it easy for you."

"No she has not." Gyda chuckled faintly. "but then again, her guard might have been an overbearing shadow." She took a step closer and held out her hand. "We might do well to start over."

A peace offering.

A small smile appeared on Elgarain's face as she stepped forward and took Gyda's hand. "I promise I will be more careful and not try to get rid of my guards."

"Then I shall make sure you'll have your freedom to live as you see fit." She paused before adding. "if it's safe and reasonable. Especially because I will be leaving for a while."
 
That surprised her. "Where are you going?" She questioned with a frown.
 
"Lord Elrond is sending a delegation to Mirkwood to strengthen the bond between the Elven Kingdoms. He has asked me to join to represent Lindon."
 
The Elven kingdoms had grown apart after the war Sauron had waged on Middle-Earth. All of them retreated to their own parts of the world to strengthen their borders in case such a threat would ever rise again. The fact that Lord Elrond was willing to mend those bonds again could only be beneficial for all Elven kingdoms.
 
"That is an honour," Elgarain said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll do well." She doubted but then added. "Captain." It was the first time she'd recognized her title.
 
"Aranel." Gyda replied with a smile.

°∴,*⋅✲✦ ( ♕ ) ✦✲⋅*,∴°

𝕬𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝕹𝐎𝐓𝐄 . . .

Poor Aragorn, so carefree before he learned of his true heritage...Please do keep in mind that this is a teenage Aragorn. This is how I imagined him to be in his younger years, so he won't be as serious and solemn as the grown up version we all know and love. Though that will come soon enough...

Also a much needed conversation between Gyda and Elgarain. Chloe and I absolutely broke our own hearts writing this because we cry when our girls fight. But that's what happens when you more or less accidently create an enemies to friends arc, oops. But the secret is out and Elgarain knows about Gyda's oath.

I've really been looking forward to sharing this chapter with you guys. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Much love, Nelly

ELVISH TRANSLATIONS:

Dôl lost lîn ― your head is empty

Selda ― girl