Fan Fiction ❯ The Letter ❯ The Letter ( One-Shot )

o_O This is the weirdest and shortest story I have ever written. Weird because I daydreamed this on my home on the bus for Christmas break. It was a three and a half hour bus ride, I dozed off, and this story just came to me. It is a different writing style for me too, but I really enjoyed writing this story, mainly because I just sat in front of the screen and typed without any break in my concentration, and also because it came out exactly like my daydream. Yeah, I know, you all think I'm crazy, but I hope you enjoy it! I wasn't going to post it at first, but then I was like, why not? So here's to hoping you like this crazy, quirky little story of mine. Oh, the italics in the story are the letter part….*coughs* Not giving anymore away…

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or places that belong to Tolkien, but Ki'ela and the Valley of Sun elves and their description are mine.

Flames will be used for the sole purpose of roasting marshmallows. So go away flamers.

Ahem, without further ado:

The Letter

The Lord of Rivendell stood at his desk, surrounded by papers. Most of them were reports from the Border Guards, some of them were complaints from the inhabitants of Imladaris, but all of them were letters he did not want to read. Sighing heavily, he sat down to his duty and picked up the first piece of parchment, read it, then signed the bottom and reached for yet another. After an hour of this, Elrond was getting a most fierce headache, and laid his head in his hands wishing, not for the last time, that he could run away from all of this.

A knock on his study door jerked him out of his daydream (in which he was lying undisturbed someplace warm with a nice glass of Muivor wine in hand), and he bade the person to enter. A runner came in, dirty and obviously in need of refreshments. Elrond could only guess how long he had been traveling.

"My lord," the runner said bowing, "I come with a letter for you…from Lord Glorfindel," the messenger announced, a bit breathlessly. Elrond almost ran at the messenger, tripped over a pillow thrown carelessly on the floor, and fell most ungraciously to the floor in a crumpled heap. He seriously considered staying there feigning unconscieness and breathing whispered curses, but the messenger helped him up, and Elrond dusted his robe off, smoothes his now wild hair back, and tried to regain some dignity.

"My thanks…" he trialed off, forgetting the messenger's name, which was mostly due to the fact that he was severely frazzled now.

"Mosiairn," answered the messenger with another bow, biting his lip to keep from laughing in Elrond's face.

"My thanks Mosiarin. You are welcome to go to the kitchen and find yourself some refreshments," Elrond said. The messenger left, trying his best not to laugh as he pictured the Elven lord lying crumpled on the floor…and failed miserably. He was still laughing when he entered the kitchen.

Elrond sighed and sat down by the fire, staring at the letter. It was a long one that much he could tell, and he wondered what on Middle Earth had compelled Glorfindel to write him such a letter while on Patrol in a human village. Shrugging, he broke the seal and settled more comfortably into his chair and began to read:

Mellon nin, I can picture where you will be when you receive this letter. In your study, surrounded by a million complaints and reports, and though I know you would rather be someplace quiet with a bottle of Muivor wine- Elrond smiled as he pictured the smirk on Glorfindel's face- this letter is one I promised a dying man I would write… Here Elrond's eyebrows raised, and he decided that this was going to be a most interesting letter indeed:

A month had passed in the village called Bavor, where we are now on patrol, and we had not yet had any action, save a small carnival, a fire (of which I swear I had nothing to do with) and as a result my men and I were growing quite bored. That all changed the next day, as a horde of Orcs decided that they would try to plunder the village. The men of the village fought well, but they would have lost had our Patrol not been there. The Orcs were soon killed, but not without injuries to the men. One elderly man had been mortally wounded, and as I passed by his bed in the healer's house, he motioned me over.

"You are an elf," he whispered, and I nodded, a bit curious as to what this dying man had to say.

"I must give you a message, one that I have been waiting many years to give," he coughed, and I pulled a chair over and settled down to hear this message. It lasted for many hours, but I know sit beside the fireplace, the bed empty, the man's spirit gone. I will keep my promise to this man, and so now I give you his tale. It begins in this small village of Bavor, in the wintertime, and with a most unexpected encounter…

Derek Westen and his wife of five years, Elizabeth, and their two small children, Alex and Mary, sat inside their snug cottage, listening to the wind howl outside. Winter had come to the small village of Bavor with a vengeance, and the world outside was a blinding blizzard of white. Elizabeth was sitting next to Derek, knitting some mittens for their children, who were busy playing a quiet game beside the fire. Suddenly a knock sounded on the door, and Derek looked at his wife.

"Who in the name of the gods would be out in this weather?" he asked, but got up to answer. The knock sounded again, this time a bit more urgently. Derek opened the door, and the wind and snow rushed in, causing Elizabeth to pull her shawl more tightly around her. The children stared, their game forgotten, for there standing just outside the door were two tall figures, wrapped in cloaks of grey.

"Come in out of this weather and get warm!" Derek exclaimed, gesturing to the inside of the cozy cottage. The figures shook their heads, and pulled their hoods back, their hair whipping back from the wind. Elizabeth gave a small gasp; the tall figures were elves! The taller of the two were male, and he held the female close to him. The female carried a small bundle, and it gave a small whimper.

"Your baby must be cold, please come in," Elizabeth cried, going to stand beside her husband. The female looked at Elizabeth, and she saw the goodness shining in her eyes, and seemed to make up her mind. She held out the bundle to Elizabeth, and her dark eyes were pleading.

"Good woman, take my baby and keep her safe for us! I beg you1" she said, and the male gripped the female's shoulders.

"But…why? What happened?" Elizabeth asked, sensing something was horribly wrong with the two elves.'

"We are dying," the male whispered, stepping forward with the female, and for the first time Derek and Elizabeth saw their faces. Deathly white, both elves seemed to be mere shadows of the vibrant being they had once been, and saw also the acceptance in their eyes.

"Our baby will die if we do not leave her with you. She is unharmed by our sickness. We have no other choice, even though it pains us to give her up. You are her best chance of living!" the female elf cried, tears running down her face. Elizabeth, who was a mother herself and knew the pain the elf must be feeling, reached out and took the baby from her mother. She looked at the couple, and her heart cried out for the pain that shone in their eyes.

"She will be happy here," the female whispered, and clung to the male. Her merely nodded, and then a shudder ran through him.

"We must go now, our time is drawing near. May Ilúvatar bless you for doing this," he whispered again, and placed his bony hands on his child and whispered a silent prayer. The female touched her child for what she knew was the last time, and then looked at Elizabeth.

"When the time comes that she realizes she is different from her family and the other children, and she is old enough to understand, tell her of her heritage. Tell her that her ada and nanthe were King and Queen of a once majestic kingdom, the Valley of Sun, and that they loved her very much," she said, and Elizabeth nodded, a bit overwhelmed that the figures before them were royalty. Derek laid his hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and nodded as well.

"We will raise her as our own, and rest in the fact that though we are not royalty she will be very happy here. We will never forget your words," he said, and the two elves nodded and pulled their hoods back up again. They had turned around and were almost gone when Elizabeth stared and stepped out into the storm.

"What is her name?" she cried out, desperate to know.

"`ela…star…spirit…" came the answer, but the rest was lost on the wind. Elizabeth shook her head and walked back into the cottage. She sat down in her rocking chair and Derek came over, as well as Alex and Mary. They were all curious as to what this little one looked like, so Elizabeth carefully unwrapped the layers of material protecting the baby, and they all gasped and stared in wonder…

From the way Derek described her Elrond, it was easy to see how much he loved the child, and so easy too, to see the pain that could not stay hidden from his eyes.

"She had a head full of red hair, and it was a vibrant, fiery red, and curly! She was tiny, but long. Elizabeth said that she would take after her father in height and I had to agree there. However, it was her eyes that captivated us, they were so different! I had never seen eyes like hers, and I knew that I never would again. They were a deep green, and that was normal enough for an elf, but it wasn't the color, it was her pupils. They were much like a cat's, slitted they were, and both pupils were outlined in a silvery-white color, but on each eye the color only went halfway, like a crescent moon. It was a very unnerving effect when one had to look into her eyes for any length of time. Since we did not catch enough of her name the elves had given Elizabeth, we decided to take the common name she had heard; Star we named her, though I often called her my little Star Spirit, for she was so energetic and full of spirit, even as a babe…"

Derek and Elizabeth treated Star no differently than their own children as they grew up, even though she elicited stares from visitors. Her eyes remained the focal point of the attention. Like a cat's they stayed slited in bright conditions, or when she was upset or mad. They grew as round as the full moon when she was surprised or excited. No special fuss was made over her in the village or at home, and as result, Star came to view herself as a normal girl, and remained puzzled at the looks she received from visitors.

She played with the other village children, and while her brother Alex protected Mary from the village bullies, he soon found out that Star could fight just as well as the boys when she needed to, much to the disapproval of the village women and Elizabeth. Her eyesight and hearing were also much more acute than the other children, though she took pains not to make it known. So it was that the village children came to accept her and see her as just another playmate, and she got along so well with most of them, and they never bullied her or made her feel different, except for one day that changed all of their lives forever…

It was finally spring, and Star skipped along a path, pail in hand, humming a little jig tune Alex had secretly taught her. She looked the human equivalent of thirteen years old; though Elizabeth and Derek had no idea how old she would be in Elven years. She was very graceful and elegant, and both of her adoptive parents had no doubts about her royal lineage.

She was out to pick raspberries for Derek, his favorite of all the fruits found near the fields of Bavor. She had almost filled her pail when Hans, a boy of fourteen years, and his friends came upon her.

"What're you doing?" he asked gruffly. Star straightened up and smiled, unperturbed by his lack of manners.

"Picking raspberries for my father," she answered, her melodious voice and gentle poise making some of the older boys grin and nudge each other. She was extremely pretty for thirteen, and some of the village boys fancied her, though she did not return any of their advances, like so many of her female friends. This undeniably marked her as a challenge; one in her innocence she was not aware of.

Hans scowled and kicked the ground. "Why do you always pick the fruit for your dad? Why don't you ever pick some for us, like the other girls?" he asked, and was greeted with a surprised look.

"You have never asked," Star answered and annoyed at the laughs from the other boys, turned back to her picking. Hans' scowl deepened, and he grabbed her arm and jerked her around to face him. It was a mistake on his part, for Star deeply loathed being touched by anyone other than her immediate family. She yanked her arm out of his grasp, and turned narrowed eyes on him.

"Do not touch me like that. I do not like it," she said coldly, and her tone stung at Hans. Angered by the jeers and taunts of his friends, he suddenly lashed out and struck Star across her face, hard enough to make her stumble back.

"Don't tell me what to do, pointy eared freak," he growled, and hit her again, splitting her lip. This time she fell down, and Hans straddled her. She struggled against him; the other boys yelling at Hans, but he was too angry to listen. He hit her again, this time hard enough that Star lost conciseness. He raised his hand to hit her again when suddenly he was lifted off her and strong arms pinned his own to his side. He twisted his head around and gulped, all anger gone; an elf held him still, while another picked Star up, smoothing her hair back and giving a small cry of surprise when he saw her pointed ears. The other boys just stared, for the elves were the ones who came to their village and stayed for a month, trading and buying things. This time two more were added to their numbers, identical in appearance; one of them was holding Star. The elves, seven altogether, turned to the group of boys, anger reflecting in their eyes. The leader, who was holding Hans, frowned at them.

"You will come with us back to the village. If you were not my own I would lash you where you stood," he said, and his tone was so severe that some of the boys wished they could just melt on the spot. They marched quietly along the path back to the village, and their shame was so great that they did not utter one word. They entered the village, and the people cried out in joy when they saw the elves, but their cries of joy were quickly stilled when they saw the boys, the anger in the elves eyes, and the one who carried a still unconscious Star. Derek and Elizabeth, who had started to worry about why Star was late, hurried forward and Elizabeth cried out, and Derek turned to the leader who still had Hans in a tight hold.

"What happened to my girl?" he demanded; anguish filling his voice at his Star Spirit's condition. The elf turned a cold look on Hans, who stared at the ground.

"Perhaps you should ask this lad here," he answered, but Hans stayed quiet. He looked up when his mother and father pushed their way to stand in front of him, his father quivering with rage, and his mother no less angry.

I must admit Elrond that I myself grew angry when he told me this part of his tale. I could just imagine how angry Derek and Elizabeth must have been and the other elves as well! Derek saw my anger and smiled. He told me that the elves had the exact same look in their eyes that was now reflected in mine. Derek was failing rapidly, but somehow he was still maintaining his hold on this world. I felt as if his spirit could not, would not, rest until he was finished…

"Are you accusing my son of beating up the girl? My boy wouldn't hurt a fly!" the mother of Hans cried, but the father turned on her.

"Be quiet. Let the elf explain," he said. The leader turned his cold look on Hans' mother.

"Then ask the children who were with him. We ourselves came across the scene, and your boy was straddling her, beating her across the face. Ask the others, they will not lie." The boys, hearing the underlying threat lacing the elf's words, all nodded.

"Hans grabbed Star, and she told him not to do it, he didn't have the right, and then he slapped her and she fell. Then he jumped on her and started beating her up. We tried to make him stop, but he wouldn't" confessed one boy, shame making him stare at the ground. Elizabeth was so angry she was shaking, but she was more worried about Star.

"Star needs my help" she interjected, and Derek nodded.

"You go with the other elves back to our home, the things we are trading are on the table. I will stay here and deal with this," he said, and the elves agreed and followed Elizabeth back to her cottage.

"Put her on the coach," she instructed, and the elf who carried her laid her down then straightened up, his twin coming to stand beside him.

"She is an elf is she not?" he asked, as Elizabeth warmed water to tend to Star's bruised face. She smoothed the cloth over her daughter's face, angry at the boy who did this.

"Yes, she is," she answered, and the elves glanced at each other.

"But you are human," one of the twins said, confusion on his face, mirrored on the face of his brother, and Elizabeth smiled at them.

"Star came to us thirteen years ago on a winter night. Her parents, indeed elves, told us to take care of her for them, for they were dying," she whispered, memories of that night flashing before her. The elves started, surprised and amazed.

"Who were they? Did they leave you any names?" the leader asked, but Elizabeth only shook her head.

"No, they didn't, I am afraid. They only told us that they were King and Queen of the Valley of Sun, and that they were dying. That is all," she answered, looking at the elves, searching their faces to see if they knew anything about the land, or even the royal elves. One of the twins looked the other, and with a nod of approval from the leader, turned to Elizabeth.

"We know something of that Kingdom. Adar often told us tales of their fate. But first we must tell you our names. I am Elladan, and my brother is Elrohir," he said, gesturing to his twin. Elizabeth smiled at them and waited for Elladan to continue.

"The land was close to Mordor, and it had once been beautiful, full of trees and life, singing and harmony. But as the darkness grew from Mordor, the land fell under its shadow. Orcs cut down the trees and waged war with the elves. They fought bravely, but they were outnumbered and finally fled their kingdom, which was laid to waste by Sauron and his followers. They settled in small villages, but one by one they were struck by a strange sickness. It caused them to waste away to nothing, and when Orcs came upon them, they were too weak to fight back, and so were all slain…but now we know at least one survived," Elladan finished, looking at Star. His heart grew angry, and he looked away. The other elves sighed and looked at each other.

"You have an amazing child Elizabeth," said the leader, looking amazed, "and I hope she fares out well in life. We will leave Elladan with you for the remainder of our stay. He will help you with Star, if you so wish," he added, looking at Elizabeth. She suspected that Elladan had healing powers or knowledge to help Star get better, so she nodded.

Elladan bathed Star's swollen and bruised face, and even through the swelling he could see that she was beautiful, and just a little bit younger than himself. He marveled at the color of her hair, and smoothed it away from her face. Star opened her eyes at his touch, and Elladan could only stare at her.

"Her eyes," he thought, knowing for sure she was of the Valley of Sun kin, for a prophecy had been given about her, one Elrond had studied and read to his sons. It had foretold of one who would be born before the end, given to humans, not knowing her heritage. When the news of the slayings reached Elrond however, he had never read it again.

He looked down at her, and her eyes lost their confused look. Elladan reached up to bathe her face again and when she saw his arm coming up, she drew away with a little cry, and her body trembled.

"I will not harm you," he whispered in Elvish and when Star heard the gentleness in his voice she relaxed and let him resume his ministrations to her face. Then the door opened and Derek came in. Star turned when she heard to door open, and when she saw Derek her eyes closed again.

"How are you my Star Spirit?" he asked, and tears formed in his eyes as he held Star close, and she cried. Derek gently held her close, and whispered soothingly to her.

"Oh father, why did he hurt me? I only told him not to touch me," she sobbed, and Elladan's heart gave a painful thump. He wanted nothing more than to run out and hurt this human as much as he had hurt Star. Star finally pulled away and lay back down, closing her eyes. Derek got up and went to see what had been traded. Then her eyes opened again and saw Elladan sitting next to her. She cocked her head and looked at him with her strange eyes.

"You have ears like mine," she said, and looked up at Derek, who had overheard her comment. He sighed and called to Elizabeth, who sat down beside her.

"Yes, he does," she answered, and Star looked at Derek.

"I am an elf," she said, more of a statement than a question. At Derek's nod, Elizabeth added,

"Yes, you are an elf, though of a different race," she said softly.

Star looked at Elladan, and reached out to touch his ears. He stayed still, the soft touch of her slender fingers on his highly sensitive ears sending shock waves throughout his body. She suddenly withdrew her hand, and blushed a deep red, which contrasted sickly with the blue and purple bruises on her face. Then she turned to her parents, both of whom were humans.

"Then you are not my parents?" she asked, and the pain in her voice made tears well up in Elizabeth's eyes. Derek took a deep breath and prepared to tell Star of her past, and of her heritage…

It is here that the human stopped for a long moment. He knew how much the truth would hurt his Star Spirit, he said, but he knew also of the promise he and Elizabeth had made long ago to her dying parents. He told me then that Star had stayed quiet throughout the story, and had cried when he told her of her parent's fate. Elladan did indeed stay for the remainder of the visit and Derek said he saw in that time how much Star had come to like him. So when the Elves had finished with their business in Bavor, Star had walked to the village gates to see them off. He told me that when she came back, she seemed more subdued and there was a longing in her eyes. He knew that there would come a time that he would lose his Star Spirit, but he had hoped it would not have come so soon…

Star stayed with her adoptive family for as long as she could, but she had been deeply wounded by the attack, and she could not bring herself to forgive Hans. Even though she would not admit it to herself, she had fallen in love with the Elven warrior twin who had been so kind to her. Five more seasons passed before approached her family and told them she was ready to go. They all agreed that it was time, and the next day they threw a little family party for her. Alex, her older brother, gave her a fine hunting knife, saying she would need it on the road. Mary, her sister, had knitted her a beautiful wrap and blanket, for it would be cold at nights. Elizabeth had a hard time dealing with the fact that her little girl was actually leaving them, but she had swallowed her tears and gave her adopted daughter a beautiful necklace, the chain made of silver, and a pendant shaped like a crescent moon hung from it.

"Just like your eyes. I will miss you my little Star. Be careful out there," she whispered, and Star cried as well, holding Elizabeth close. Derek was nowhere to be seen, and Star knew that he was having the hardest time with her leaving. She waited until night, to spend as much time as she could with her family, but still Derek did not show up. Finally she could wait no longer, and with the tearful goodbyes over with, she stepped out into the night and started on her way. She had almost reached the village gates when someone called out her name. She turned to see Derek, leading a jet-black horse behind him. He stopped in front of her and tears were in his eyes.

"I wouldn't let you leave without a goodbye gift, so I went to Claindonera and bought him for you. You will need him out there, and he is a swift and true horse," he said, and Star smiled through her tears. She reached out and touched the stallion's nose, and it was velvet soft.

"Does he have a name?" she asked, and Derek shook his head.

"Then I shall name him Jet. It is a good name, and well suited, do you not think?" she replied, giving Derek a small smile. Derek laughed and drew her into a hug.

"I will miss you my little Star Spirit. Please do not forget us," he said, and Star heard the anguish in his voice.

"I will never forget you…ada," she whispered, hugging him back, and then mounting Jet. Derek let her go, the tears he had not shed for so many days now streaming down his face, and he waved until he could see her no more. Her last words echoed in his mind, and suddenly he realized what she had called him.

"Ada…father..." he whispered, and his heart swelled as he realized how much those words meant to him. With one last look at the road, he turned around and went back home, where he was enveloped in his wife's embrace.

"Do you think she will ever come back?" Alex asked, tears in his eyes as well.

"No my son. It is time she was home," Derek answered, and he knew in is heart he had spoken the truth.

Derek's story ended here, for the man was in too much pain to continue. I had listened to his story, but I still wanted to know one more thing. I asked him if she had ever married, and Derek's eyes had lit up. "I received word that she had. I hope she is happy, and I wish her all the happiness with her husband. If you ever see her, tell her that I love her." I had assured him that I would, for I believed that I have already found her. After Derek's spirit had left, I pondered what her name would be. The words Elizabeth had heard on the wind gave me an idea. Star Spirit, which was also Derek's pet name for her, would translate roughly into Ki'ela. I must go now my friend; duty calls and I imagine you are almost asleep at this point. I shall see you in two months time mellon nin."

~Glorfindel~

Elrond laid the last page down, hardly believing what he had just read. He summoned Erestor, who hurried into the study.

"Yes, milord?" he asked, and Elrond smiled.

"Bring my son Elladan and his wife to me. Tell them it is very important." Erestor nodded and left. A few moments later, Elladan and his beautiful new wife cautiously came into the study.

"There is no need to walk as if you are on glass. Come in," Elrond chuckled, motioning to some chairs.

"Is anything wrong Adar?" Elladan asked, seeing the seriousness in his father's eyes. He took his wife's hands and waited.

"No, nothing is wrong, but I have something that will be of great importance to you both," Elrond answered, handing Elladan the letter. When his son glanced at him in puzzlement, Elrond waved a hand.

"Go on, read it with your wife," he said, smiling.

As she read the letter, her hands trembled, and she reached up and touched the crescent moon pendent that hung from a delicate silver chain. When they finished, Elladan held her close as she cried in both sorrow and joy. Elrond smiled at Ki'ela, for indeed Elladan's new wife was Derek and Elizabeth's adopted daughter. Her hair was the same vibrant red, her eyes still green with the cat-like pupils, and the weird crescent marks around the pupils.

"Oh, how I will cherish this letter! Thank you Lord Elrond, thank you!" she cried, and gave her father-in law a big hug. Elrond smiled at Elladan over her head, who was shaking his head and laughing.

"It is not I you should thank, it is Glorfindel. It is he who sent me the letter," he said, and Ki'ela nodded.

"I will write Glorfindel then, and give him my thanks," she said, and then looked over at Elladan. "And perhaps we could visit the village of Bavor, my first home. Thank you Lord Elrond. You have given back a part of myself I thought I had lost forever," she said. Elrond smiled and took her hand.

"You are most welcome…Star Spirit."

The End.