The Shadow Hunter

Chapter 04: For the Future

Varilerin’s eyes remained wide open, the image of the horrifying event in the morning still looming over her mind. She could feel tremendous pain vibrating in her body, either from her wound or the sense of her uselessness, she didn’t know. The night was quiet and the gathering had ended not long ago. Her feet, despite with a terrible wound, were restless and demanding some movement.

When she sensed that no more elves were walking past her room, she finally rose from her bed and opened the door. Carefully, she investigated her surroundings, for she didn’t want to encounter someone and introduce herself in a strange manner. After she was sure that she was ‘save’, she finally sneaked out of her room and closed the door as silent as the night. The cold night wind brushed her loose hair gently and she searched the corridors for her master. Though she wanted to go to the forest to kill her boredom, she knew that Glorfindel would be furious of her if he found her wandering in the woods once more.

She silently stepped on the cold stone floor as she walked in the corridors. She curiously observed the paintings and carvings inside the building, which she rarely ventured in. Since she would not be staying in the building long, she thought she might take the opportunity to explore ever corners of Rivendell just once. She came upon a hall with larger paintings than before and a garden in its centre. Her eyes caught a larger painting with a flat-topped stone standing before it.

She walked closer to the unknown painting and observed it in curiosity. It was a painting of a man fighting a dark figure hidden in the background. The knight was wielding a broken sword, shining as if it was the star. She turned around to see the sword lying on top of the stone, broken just like depicted by the painting, but somehow still bearing power.

“It is the shards of Narsil, the sword that cut the Ring off Sauron’s hands,” abruptly a deep voice came from the shadows. Varilerin turned around immediately and cautiously backed away unconsciously.

“It is me, Varilerin, there is nothing for you to fear of,” Elrond said as he emerged from among the shadows. Varilerin slowly but cautiously lowered her guard when she completely saw Elrond’s figure. Elrond frowned, knowing that the youngling was still impacted by her first battle. Her eyes were still blazing with vigilance, as if she would be attacking at any moment.

“What are you doing out your room at this time?” Elrond questioned her carefully.

“I cannot sleep My Lord, not at my current state,” she answered bluntly, slightly avoiding Elrond’s gaze. Elrond frowned, understanding how affected the elleth was to experience such horror in such a young age.

“I’ve heard about your vision,” Elrond said to her. “Have you ever received it previously?”

“No, My Lord. Not a single second of my life,” she answered honestly. “Do you have any knowledge of what it is?”

Elrond couldn’t give her a plausible answer. Gifts of vision were only received by high Elves such as him and Lady Galadriel. He had never heard such random youngling receiving a vision, yet alone a vision of danger.

“No, I am afraid not, my child. It is strange for you to receive such a brief one as well,” Elrond told her regretfully. She didn’t look disappointed nor surprised, only nodding in understanding as if she was expecting that answer. Elrond pitied on her and how she had so many unanswered questions about herself.

“But I believe it is a precious gift,” Elrond said to her after a while. “If it is indeed a gift you have whenever you sense dangers, I believe it will be useful for you in the future.”

“Then what happens when I am unable to face the evil coming?” Varilerin retorted, her voice hopeless and diminishing. “I have trained for many years and yet I am unable to do more than wounding myself!”

“Tell me, child, will you return to battle after so much has happened?” Elrond intervened. Varilerin stopped moving. She turned to stare at Elrond’s wise eyes, her soul being delved by them. Silence was her immediate answer, though deep in her heart she had spoken. Fear, it was the feeling that bothered her from sleep, and the one preventing her from speaking.

Did she have the courage to enter the battlefield once more?

But if she didn’t, what should she do?

I would transmute myself into a useless being.

“If it is a step towards greater strength for me in the future, then I shall return to the battlefield,” Varilerin finally answered. “I will turn into a useless being if I don’t, such a dishonour for my master after all the sacrifice he has made.”

“I will not stay still and let evil terrorize Middle Earth, My Lord. I will protect your family and all dear to me, whatever the cost.”

Silence and amazement engulfed the Elven Lord when he heard her vow. The moon and the trees watched her standing, determined yet still young. Elrond smiled after a long moment and tapped her shoulders.

“Then you shall be a great warrior, Varilerin, Daughter of Glorfindel, and I believe in every word you have said. May your protection be with us,” Elrond said. For the first time in his life, he saw her smiling. It was not a fake smile, but a genuine and pure one. Elrond realized that deep inside her isolated soul, she was not different than most of her kin.

But little did he know that her vow meant more than both, and all close to her, could imagine.

The next morning Varilerin was gone once more, just like Glorfindel had expected from his apprentice.

She should not even be walking, he protested quietly as he traced her footsteps towards the woods. When he saw Elrond walking in the corridors, smiling on his own, at night before, he suspected something had happened between the two. All the peredhil said was, “Your child will make a great warrior.”

He intended to find her as fast as possible, because there was some news for her to receive, and Arwen as well. After walking for several minutes, he heard a loud thwang coming from the woods, a sign of the presence of his apprentice.

“Did I hit it?” Arwen asked Varilerin, not noticing Glorfindel approaching them. He saw Varilerin nodding quietly as she pulled an arrow from the tree trunk next to her.

“You are getting better, Lady Arwen-“ Varilerin paused when she saw her master emerging from the bushes. “Master Glorfindel, what brings you here?”

“The fact that my injured pupil is walking in the forest and training archery with Lord Elrond’s daughter,” Glorfindel answered gleefully to scold the elleth lightly. Varilerin didn’t say anything, only giving the arrow back to Arwen and staring at him suspiciously.

“There is another matter you must explain to me, or us,” Varilerin guessed sharply.

“Yes,” Glorfindel replied with a smile. “There has been news.”

“What news?” Arwen asked excitedly. Clearly it was the product of the gathering the night before, which she didn’t attend fully because she wasn’t interested in her father’s and the others’ heavy discussion, yet.

“It is not from the gathering, I should tell you, but a private discussion between me, your father, and Lord Celeborn,” Glorfindel continued. Arwen lost her excitement, but this time Varilerin was lit up with curiosity. The meeting with Elrond last night, she knew, was not a mere coincidence.

“First of all, Varilerin. You are going to join the rangers soon enough after the other Elves leave,” Glorfindel told her.

Silence among the three of them. Arwen was the first one to react.

“What?” she exclaimed almost too loudly. Varilerin raised her brows in turn, doubting her master not affected by any wine offered in the dinner last night.

“I don’t know you have such low tolerance in alcohol, Master,” Varilerin said bluntly. Arwen chuckled.

“No, it is not a joke, nor am I drunk!” Glorfindel assured them. “Listen, Lord Elrond and I, as well as his sons and your friends, have deemed you worthy to enter the battlefield. After such an event you managed to cope with, it is undeniable that your skills must be put to use.”

“But she’s too young, Lord Glorfindel!” Arwen protested.

“We have discussed thoroughly. She can cope with it, we are sure. Furthermore, she won’t be alone, not yet. She will work with Ellain and Ruindoldir, in case something happens…”

Glorfindel looked back to Varilerin, who remained quiet like the night. She pondered the reason Elrond encountered her at night and asking such questions. All of them were directly answered right now, clearing all her suspicions regarding the conversation last night.

“That is good to hear, Master,” Varilerin said plainly. “Though a sad thing to hear as well. It means I might spend no time with Lady Arwen.”

Glorfindel nodded reluctantly. Arwen’s face darkened slightly with sadness. “And for the second news,” Glorfindel said, breaking the awkward silence between them. He took a long breath before continuing, very anxious of the two younglings’ stares.

“Lady Arwen will be studying with Lady Galadriel when the time comes. She will be leaving Rivendell,” Glorfindel said. Arwen stood agape, whilst Varilerin showed a significant reaction unusual for her.

“When?” Varilerin asked calmly.

“It will not be too soon, I assure both of you, but it will happen.”

“Then I shall be separated from Varilerin by the time comes?” Arwen asked in panic. She looked at Varilerin, who looked eerily composed and calm. It was not that she didn’t have any other friends, but somehow she liked Varilerin more than the others. She had been friends with Varilerin, who was the same age as her, ever since they could speak. Even though her friend was quiet, their conversations would pleasure her.

“It is unavoidable,” Varilerin told Arwen instead of Glorfindel. “Furthermore, I shall not be seeing you too much either when my duty as a ranger starts.”

“You should be studying as well, My Lady. Clearly this is a sign that you will be learning more from your father and your brothers, for your age is now proper,” Glorfindel continued.

Arwen sighed, knowing that she could not avoid such fate. Varilerin tapped Arwen’s shoulder lightly and gave her a small smile.

“Do not worry, My Lady. If we are to be separated, I will still send messages for you,” Varilerin told her.

“You are saying as if tomorrow we’re going to be separated!” Arwen protested. Varilerin smirked gleefully.

“We should be prepared anytime, should we not?”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Elves were leaving. Their paths were now guarded tightly by the rangers from Rivendell. Arwen watched as one by one the archers walked behind the guests like shadows, and among the trees they perched silently like an owl.

She watched her father bidding farewell to her grandfather and King Thranduil along with his son. The gathering had lasted for a week and every night the three, along with several councillors, gathered in the hall to discuss matters she wouldn’t understand. Meanwhile, Varilerin, having her wound healing, went to the forest with Ellain and Ruindoldir to train for her new occupation. Arwen did not expect for them to be separated the next day after the news had arrived.

From afar Arwen saw Varilerin approaching, dressed in her usual dark garments with the addition of the brown cloak of the rangers. With her was a quiver of arrows and the same training bow she had always used.

“My Lady,” Varilerin greeted Arwen with a bow.

“I don’t expect you to start today!” Arwen remarked as she observed her friend, still in the same physical form but somehow more fitting with the battle gears.

“After so much trouble the guests had during the first day, Ellain and Ruindoldir decided to take extra precautions,” she told her plainly. “It is such a pity to not be seeing you for several days.”

“Several days?”

“Yes. The rangers are also going outside the borders to investigate the Orcs attacking. We suspect that they have a hideout in the mountains around Imladris,” Varilerin explained.

“Isn’t it too dangerous for you to enter such a dangerous mission?” Arwen asked, slightly pleading. She didn’t like the horror she experienced when she saw Varilerin arriving pale with an arrow wound a week ago.

“It will be a good experience for me,” Varilerin said, tilting her head. “I have trained for a long time for this. If it is an opportunity for me to improve in strength, I shall take it.”

“Regarding the chance to improve….” Arwen said hesitantly. “Father has told me when I shall depart to Lothlorien.”

“Well, that’s sooner than you expected,” Varilerin said as she raised a brow. Arwen smiled gleefully.

“No, I asked him in truth. He said that I shall be departing in a year,” Arwen said.

“In a year?” Varilerin exclaimed quietly. “Why, that’s really soon!”

“In fact, I am the one who requested it,” Arwen continued with an awkward smile. Varilerin tilted her head sideways, not understanding her friend’s purpose.

“You have moved forward, Varilerin,” Arwen said. “I cannot stay idle either. If my path is not through the battlefield, then I shall improve in wisdom. I don’t want myself being overshadowed by your own shadow, My Friend.”

Varilerin smirked, satisfied of her friend’s resolve. “We are not so different at all, aren’t we, Arwen?”

Arwen shook her head. “No, not at all.”

Ellain and Ruindoldir secretly sneaked behind Varilerin, not wanting to disturb their precious moment. “Varilerin,” Ruindoldir said when he saw that they should be departing.

Varilerin looked over shoulder to see Ellain and Ruindoldir standing awkwardly behind. She nodded in understanding and then turned to Arwen.

“I’ll see you again, My Friend,” Arwen said as she leapt to hug Varilerin. Varilerin smirked and patted her back gently, enjoying the last seconds before their short yet long separation.

“And I as well, My Friend.”

Arwen watched as Varilerin’s smaller shadow followed Ellain and Ruindoldir quietly, their backs facing her and protecting the Elves. The morning sun had just risen, shining the valley with glimmers of hope and future. Arwen smiled sadly, for deep in her heart she knew they wouldn’t be meeting just like they used to be for the next few years.

But little did she know that her sense was utterly true.