| ~Teveldin~ |
 -x- The Shattered Peace -x- (Free, good writers needed!)
on: December 31, 2005 02:14
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-x- The Shattered Peace -x-
The full moon shone softly down on the golden wood, gentle and unobtrusive. Around it, the night seemed to part at the edges, allowing the Elven forest's full light to shine into its shadows.
Close at hand upon the bank of the Anduin, a silent sentinel in the night, stood a solitary figure, tall and straight as he lightly gripped the upright long-bow in front of him. His silver-green eyes were blank, his soul awash in memories. It had been eight years since he'd entered this place: eight long, lonely years of dodging memories and old heartache.
Middle Earth was tall and wide, but it seemed every dark corner, every valley and wood held old pain for him. He was Elven kind; it was to be expected that he felt deeper and longer than others. But scar upon scar and wound upon wound had worn him down farther than ever before, and now he was tired; through and through, bone-weary. Here, he hoped, he might at last find some form of rest.
Rest... A foreign word. It had been promised to him by the Lady, many long years ago, but he supposed he had never really expected to find it. Until now. Now, he wasn?t even sure he expected it: Just hoped for it.
He was pulled from his reverie by a low bird call away to his right, and a wry, humorless smile turned up the corners of his lips as he tilted his head towards it. He waited a moment, and then whistled its all-too-familiar reply.
Within moments, a shadowy figure stood before him, grey-hued tunic blending with its surroundings seamlessly. The stranger wielded an Elven bow, but did not hold it at ready. Rather, it hung from his fingers at his side, as one might a hold a weapon when greeting an old friend.
"Suilad, Teveldin Narthaelion." The stranger's musical voice at last floated through the fog.
Teveldin smiled--for real this time--as he replied. "Mae Govannen Haldir. It has been long indeed since I have heard your voice."
"Too long." Came the firm reply as the other stepped forward and the two old friends clasped arms in greeting. Haldir's smile was soon replaced by concern, however, as he searched Teveldin's countenance. "It is well indeed, to see you again, mellon-nin. But there is weariness in your spirit."
"And from it, I seek rest." Replied the dark-haired elf simply.
"Then you seek in the right place." Was the gentle reply. "Come, my friend." Haldir smiled, clasping Teveldin?s shoulder as they turned towards the wood. "The Lady will be delighted to see you again."
_/
The trek into Caras Galadhon took no more than an hour for the two elves, familiar with each other and the land, but by the time they arrived, Teveldin could barely hold himself up. Perceiving his exhaustion, the Marchwarden led him to a flet within the city, where Teveldin could spend the night before meeting Lady Galadriel in the morning.
Nodding his thanks, the Mirkwood elf slowly eased his aching body onto the welcomed bed. Strands of jet-black hair fell across his face, but he was already too deep in dreams to care.
When next he woke, it was to the lazy sunlight streaming through the trees. Blinking slowly, wishing for once that this would be a dream that remained for a little while, he sat up. And found that it did.
Remembrance was quick in coming, but he was still surprised at his own momentary lapse. It had been a long time since that had happened. Standing, he found that someone had removed his weapons in the night, since he'd been too weary to do that himself the night before. Smiling to himself, he dug into his pack for a change of clothing, newly aware of his bedraggled, travel-stained appearance. In dark, human-made clothes and tall leather boots, he looked exactly like the ranger he had been for so many years. He may have known the Lady of the Golden Wood for years on end, but not even her own children would be seen before him in such a manner.
He tried to concentrate on little things like that-- small, abstract memories that failed to effect him. That way, he didn't have to stand back and look at the larger picture. He didn't have to be reminded of what he had lost.
That had been a long time ago. Should it still hurt this bad?
Finding himself sadly lacking in suitable clothing, he finally settled on whatever was clean-- namely a pair of black breeches and a loose, long-sleeved white shirt. That the garment was still white was remarkable enough in itself-- that it still looked it, even more so. He wasn't even sure why he carried it around with him. He had probably worn it twice in ten years, but aside from that: It had no place in a ranger's life, and he could not afford to carry anything more than the barest of necessities with him.
He smiled, eyes vacating once more as he ran his hands down the soft, billowy material. Memories. He kept it for the memories. Some of the few good ones he could recall.
Glancing into the floor-length mirror to check his appearance, he found himself nearly presentable. Nearly... He hesitated, and then, pulling his slightly disarrayed hair out of its traditional warrior braids, he let the ebony tresses fall free. Standing there, he stared at his reflection, bare-footed and weaponless, and a dull ache seemed to ring inside of him. It had been too long since he'd felt this safe. Valar, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd removed his weapons. That was sign enough that it was time for some manner of reprieve.
For an elf, he was young. In his heart, he felt the weight of ages he knew he had never lived.
He was in Lothlorien again-- He shouldn't feel this way.
_/\_
Haldir walked with Teveldin to the Lady's flet, but from there, dropped back in silent intuition. He knew his place and his friend. This was for him to do alone.
The long, spiraling flights of steps to the top talan, upon which the Lady and Lord greeted their guests, should have been a long and tiring trek. Teveldin, however, found the familiarity oddly relaxing, and was nearly surprised when he found himself upon the top step.
Before him, stood the Lady of the Golden Wood.
Teveldin hesitated, unsure of formality, but she swept forward to embrace him without a second thought.
"Mae Govannen, ion-nin." She smiled fondly at him when she at last pulled away. "Haldir alerted me of your coming. My heart is indeed gladdened to see you once more."
"Thank you, my lady." He smiled, touching an open hand to his heart as he lowered his eyes.
"What brings you here, young one?" She questioned kindly, seeking his eyes with her own. "Yours is a wandering spirit. What do you seek in this place?"
"I'm tired M'lady." He murmured truthfully. "Tired as no elf should be."
"Even the shadows take rest in the morning." Galadriel smiled softly at him, eyes still probing, searching. "You should learn from the friends you keep."
"And these shadows: are they the wrong friends to be keeping?" Teveldin returned seriously.
Again, the unrevealing smile. "That is only for you to decided, Teveldin. Only for you."
_/(_)
That night, Teveldin dined as a guest at the Lord?s table, and many a long hour was spent exchanging tales and adventures with Haldir, who was also present, and Celeborn, who had himself been a warrior.
Eventually, however, the table was cleared. Outside, the air grew cool, lights flickered on across the forest, and somewhere high in the branches, singing was heard. In Lorien, it is difficult to mark the passing of time, but even elves sleep and wake, and eventually, the room became silent and dark in the absence of life.
When Teveldin found himself alone once more, he wandered the halls and corridors aimlessly, all so hauntingly familiar. When he finally chose to still, it was high above the forest on an arching balcony. He stood there a long time in perfect contentment, arms crossed, staring out across the forest, basking in the cool breeze as it skittered down the halls to tug at his shirt and hair, as if begging him to come out and dance with it.
There had been a time when he might have given in to its call. He might have gone down to the grassy hills and shallow, dipping valleys to wander among the timeless mallorns and run with the deer. There, he might have stayed and rested for time immemorial, and enjoyed every moment of it.
That time had come and gone, a very long time ago.
_/\_
OOC: Hello again, CoE! Wow! It's been almost a year since I've RPed! It's good to be back, if only briefly! *Ahem*, on to business.
This is, obviously, a Totally Tolkien thread, so I'd like to stick strictly to canon. If you'd like to join go right on ahead, but I'd prefer really good writers and above all, really good characters! Really, I can't stress it enough; put some human in your characters, guys! I think we've all had enough of the all-powerful super-tough female elf warriors! Some variety would be much appreciated.
So aside from that, pick this up and run with it as far and wide as you want-- It's a free RP after all! That defined, on to the thread!
I look forward to RPing with you!
-Tev
[Edited on 25/03/1990 by ~Teveldin~]
[Edited on 31/12/2005 by PotbellyHairyfoot]
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