A STRANGERS DAUGHTER

 

 

"Luna! Luna!"

 

Luna's head turned and saw Sanariam running toward her. "Yes Sanariam?" she asked worriedly.

 

Sanariam stood beside Luna, "It's Ker. She's wounded." she breathed.

 

"Come on, you can tell me more on the way." Luna stood and followed Sanariam into the forests of Rivendell.

~~~

 

Kerowyn's head spun as she felt herself be lifted from the cold ground. "Sanariam?" she asked.

 

"Shh, Lariniana, mother's here now. Mother's got you."

 

"Luna?" Kerowyn asked.

 

"No Lariniana, it's Silvarian, your mother." Silvarian walked deeper into the woods, "Your ada's been worried sick about you."

~~~

 

"I was playing a trick on her and she fell and broke her arm." Sanariam replied while leading Luna into the clearing where she had left Kerowyn. "Uh-oh."

 

Luna looked at Sanariam curiously, "Uh-oh what?"

 

"I swear Luna I left her right here!" Sanariam exclaimed while walking over to the tree where she had left her friend.

 

"What? Are you sure?" Luna asked, worried more now.

 

"I left her right beside the big oak tree." Sanariam argued.

 

Luna looked around her then back at Sanariam. "I hate to tell you this, but the forests are filled with oak trees."

 

Sanariam groaned and looked at Luna. "Now what?"

 

"Let's go back and get some help." Luna replied worriedly. The two turned and headed back toward Rivendell, unaware of the lone-efl carrying their friend deeper into the woods.

~~~

 

Silvarian put her 'daughter' on one a bed in a room, then left her. Kerowyn heard her yelling down the hall, "Eldaron! I found her! She's home, Lariniana!"

 

Kerowyn sighed and looked around the room from the bed. Paintings hung the walls, paintings of the woman who had carried her here, a man, probably Eldaron, and... her?

 

"Lariniana!"

 

Kerowyn looked up as a blonde haired elf entered. He ran over and hugged her tightly, she winced at the pain in her shoulder. "I have missed you Rin." he pulled away and looked at her. "Your mother said you were wounded."

 

"Just a little break I'm afraid." Kerowyn replied. "But, I don't know you. My mother faded, and my ada sailed to Valinor. Your not my parents."

 

Anger and rage flashed through the man's eyes. "Do not speak about us when we're right in front of you."

 

"My father was Carinebeth Darindinion, my mother was Haredril Seaniam, I am Kerowyn Seaniam." she showed the man her sea blue life-power ring, then the locket on her neck of her and her parents. "They were my parents."

 

The man backhanded her face and she felt the fiery hot pain on her cheek. As her head turned she felt the ring being slipped off her finger. "Don't ever talk to us that way again! Your mother's crying thanks to you!" Silvarian was in the corner, sobbing, Kerowyn didn't care, they weren't her parents, they were insane! "Come Silvarian." the man led his sobbing wife out of the room and slammed the door.

 

"Great." Kerowyn murmered and walked over to the wardrobe. She found a pale blue gown and changed into it. She then laid down on the bed and began to think of how she could get out of here. Trying to keep her mind off the pain in her shoulder, and her lack of power, she didn't notice when she fell into the realm of sweet blissful sleep.

~~~

 

My Dearest Kerowyn,

 

I regret to inform you of my departure to the Gray Havens. I can no longer bare the load of grief in my heart. When your mother passed to Mandos, I didn't know if I could bare it, and now I can no longer.

 

You can not change my mind, for by the time you recieve this I will have already sailed, and the realm will be a forgotten memory. You will always be in my heart and mind. I will miss you until you one day too, sail. You have my love.

Your Father,

Carinabeth Darindinion.

 

"ADA!" Kerowyn yelled while bolting straight up in her bed. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed, revealing her pale, pain filled face. The door opened and in came Eldaron. He ran over to her and sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm here now Rin."

 

She shivered in his arms, and one thought crossed her mind. Your not my father.

~~~

 

"It's her bow. I know it is. She never goes anywhere without it unless forced." Lindir handled the beautifally crafted bow in his hands.

 

"I can't believe I missed this." Luna chastised herself. "I should have seen this earlier."

 

"You were worried. We all were." Sanariam replied. "Are."

 

"I know." Luna replied.

 

Elrohir and Elladan walked over to the company. Elladan sighed, handing Luna the twin blades of Kerowyn. "We found them over by the tree. Either they went that way or..."

 

"They wanted us to think they did." Elrohir finished.

 

"Let's split up. You three go the way you found the blades, me and Sana, will go this way." Luna pointed toward the other side of the forests.

 

"Meet back here, say about in three hours?" Elrohir asked.

 

The others nodded and Elladan bent and carved an "X" in front of the tree. "So we'll no which oak to meet at." he explained, then the group turned and left in search of their friend.

~~~

 

The thunder and lightning still battled on outsight, as Kerowyn sat crying in her room. "They won't ever find me." she whispered to herself. "And I don't know about these people, they'll never believe I'm me and not her." Kerowyn's gaze turned to the picture of the family on the wall.

 

"I'm not you." she said to it. "I'm not." she repeated herself. Kerowyn painfully rolled up her sleeve on her starlit blue dress and sighed at the purplish blue shoulder. She winced and looked around the room, trying to find something to help reset her own arm. Finding nothing she pulled her sleeve back down and leaned back against the pillows. "Atleast their accomidating." she sighed and closed her eyes, willing sleep to drift over her.

~~~

 

"Luna, when are we going to go back?"

 

"Soon Sana. But first we're going to keep looking around. We're almost at a a village. We can ask if they have seen Ker." Luna replied while turning toward the village once more.

 

"Well I for one don't like this village." Sanariam murmered and followed after her determined friend, to the little village infront of her.

 

~~~

 

A knock on the door brought Kerowyn out of her sleep and she glanced around the room. She realized that it must be day now, since she was met by bright lights. She stood and walked to the door, she was about to open it when it burst open and Eldaron came in. "We won't let them take you again." He yelled and picked Kerowyn up, and began to walk down the stairs to the cellar.

 

"Put me down, let me go!" Kerowyn yelled but the pain in her shoulder did not help in the fight, and her 'ada' knew it. He touched the shoulder and she cried out while slipping into the realm of unconciousness, unaware that Eldaron tied her up downstairs, in the dark cold cellar, then left her there, alone...

~~~

 

"Hello." A woman said while looking out of the door. "What can I help you with?"

 

"Hello. I'm Luna, and this is Sanariam." Luna nodded toward her friend. "Can we come in?"

 

The woman nodded and opened the door wider allowing the girls access to her home. "I'm Silvarian, and this is my husband Eldaron."

 

Luna smiled then her face turned solemn, "We have lost our friend, Kerowyn. She looks like this." Luna handed the couple a painting of her friend that she had taken out of her room for the hunt. "Have you seen her?"

 

"No, no I'm sorry we haven't." Eldaron said while pushing the painting back to Luna.

 

She sighed and looked around the room. "Thank-you. Wait. Who is that in that picture?" Luna thought that the girl in the picture looked much like Kerowyn, that it could be her twin, except for the hair they were exactly alike.

 

"My daughter, Lariniana. She was kidnapped by orcs awhile ago." Silvarian said solemnly.

 

"I'm sorry for your loss." Luna was now not confused about the picture, since the girl in this picture had blonde hair and Kerowyn had deep brown, almost raven in shade. "Thank-you for your time." Luna and Sanariam stood and left without another thought of the picture inside.

~~~

 

"No luck?" Lindir asked the girls.

 

"None." Sanariam replied.

 

Lindir groaned and slumped down on the ground. "Where is she?"

 

"For all we know she could be dead." Elladan said aloud.

 

"Don't say that! Our bond, it's still there, weak but there. She's alive. I know she is." Lindir snapped.

 

Elladan backed down and stared at Lindir. "Just making an assessment."

 

"Well don't." Lindir snapped and put his head in his hands. When he looked back up he found that everyone was staring at him, with worried faces. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped. She could have been dead."

 

Elladan sighed. "I shouldn't have said it. Forgive me?"

 

"There is nothing that need be forgiven." Lindir smiled slightly and stood. "Let's go and alert the gaurds to send out a patrol."

~~~

 

Thunder crashed and lightning flashed again. His thoughts were on her, and her fear of storms. She hated them, everything about them, she knew that they normally brought vengance, or death. He was sitting on the terrace of her room, letting the rain pour onto him, not caring he was wet.

 

"She hates storms."

 

Lindir turned and saw Luna standing at the door. "I know." Lindir sighed and once more turned to look ahead. "She's been afraid of them ever since the orc fight with her parents."

 

Luna nodded and pulled her cloak over her head and came out to stand beside Lindir. "I pray who ever has her, is nice to her."

 

"Me too." Lindir whispered. "Me too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After speaking with Lindir for a few more minutes, Luna made her way back to her cottage. She put a teapot on the fire and pulled down a cup and some peppermint tea. As the tea brewed, Luna let her thoughts wander to the search that had commenced that day. As she went over everything, her mind kept returning to the house of the elf couple whose daughter was captured by orcs. Luna’s instincts were telling her that something wasn’t right there, that she needed to dig deeper.

 

"What could it be?" she murmered to herself before hearing the whistle of the tea pot. She walked into the dark kitchen, only the fire light brought her light.

 

"What could it be? A nice enough question, but only you don't have answer do you?"

 

Luna swiveled, she came face to face with a tall blonde Gondolian elf. "Glorfindel! Must you do that?!?"

 

"Yes, unfortunately. I'm feeling a bit lonely, I miss Kerowyn." Glorfindel frowned as he nodded toward the pot of tea.

 

Luna frowned. "Right." she quickly removed the pot from the fire, setting it on the table, she let it cool.

 

"Dawn tommorrow we set out again... do you have any leads?" Glorfindel asked, sitting at the bar looking intently at the moon-elf.

 

Luna put her hands to her head, she sighed. "Well... I have a feeling but I don't know..."

 

"What is it?" Glorfindel interrupted her, a frown creasing his brow.

 

Luna gulped, "Well, I get an odd feeling from that woman Silvarian I think her name was... something in that house was not right."

 

"Silvarian you say?" Glorfindel asked, putting his chin on his hand.

 

Luna mutely nodded, she looked at her 'uncle' in confusion. Did he know of the couple hidden in the woods? She wondered if he had any information of them.

 

"Silvarian and Eldaron had it hard I admit, but I do not know if I'd consider them criminals. After the death of Lariniana they have been strange ever since. Not as friendly as they used to be I believe. They used to live in The Dell, but they moved into the forests for protection they claimed Rivendell could not offer them, not many have seen or heard of them since you have spoken of them. I myself saw them a year back." Glorfindel admitted.

 

Luna looked at her uncle, "Is it a possibility they would try to replace their daughter with Kerowyn?"

 

"Replace her? I doubt that. They had another daughter... what was her name... Luviel. She was beautifal, but she looked nothing like Lariniana. No one saw her after her birth, the couple even speak as if they never had a second daughter." Glorfindel replied.

 

Luna nodded, taking in the information. "Uncle, Kerowyn looked a lot like this Lariniana... what if they do have her?"

 

"I don't know Luna... but we will indeed find out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was cold...

 

Cold and dark.

 

Kerowyn shivered as she listened to the scraping of the chains against the wall. Her hands had been bound abover her head, causing more strain on her shoulder. She hated the darkness, it did something to her that shamed the elf.

 

"Someone, help me!" she screamed at the voices above her, but no one came.

 

She tried to move against her bonds, but she could not even move without whimpering in pain. "Curse you! Curse you all! I am not your daughter, I will never be your daughter! Your not my parents. No parents would do this to their child! Do you hear me? No one would do this to their child! Maybe you deserved to loose her, if you treated her so badly as this! I hate you! I hate you both!"

 

A scream erupted from upstairs as the door opened, shining a bright light in her eyes which caused her to wince.

 

"You selfish brat!"

 

A stinging pain from Eldaron's hand caused her head to snap backwards, hitting the block wall. She immeadiately felt sick as she felt a sticky liquid drip down her neck and onto her back.

 

"You foolish, foolish child. Your ungrateful, your selfish, your not even worth anything! You never have, you never will!"

 

The slaps kept coming, each blow causing a wave of nausea to come up on her. Kerowyn bit her lip not to whimper.

 

"Your ungrateful... you wretch!"

 

Kerowyn felt a tear escape her eyes as she began to sob, blood seeping from her mouth.

 

"Your weak... you can't even except your punishment." Eldaron's voice softened. "I'm sorry Lariniana... but do you understand now why I had to do this to you?"

 

Kerowyn nodded weakly, "Y-yes..."

 

"Yes what?"

 

The anger in his voice was hard not to hear, "Yes sir."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Silvarian! Eldaron! Open this door I demand it!"

 

Glorfindel continued his banging until the door finally opened. A disheveled looking elf appeared. "What is it you... Lord Glorfindel! Eldaron! It's Glorfindel! Oh Glorfindel we have the most wonderful news!"

 

Glorfindel looked at the woman confused, "What is it Silvarian?"

 

"Lariniana! She's been returned to us. She's wounded, but Eldaron is getting her back into the shape of things." Silvarian smiled. "Who are they?"

 

Glorfindel turned, "These are friends... old friends of Lariniana's... they had come to offer condolences but now I feel they are no longer in order. May I see her?"

 

The look of Silvarian's face looked as if she been slapped. "Umm.. I..."

 

"Glorfindel, please, maybe you can whip her back into shape." Eldaron smiled.

 

Glorfindel nodded as he enetered into the home, Luna, Elenwe, Lindir, Saeryn, and the twins following closely behind. "Where are you keeping her?"

 

"The cellar. No one's safe around her. Those orcs have poisoned her mind they have." Eldaron murmered as he opened the door. "You worthless brat, you have visitors... be on your best behavior for them!"

"Ye-yes ada." the weak voice drifted to his ears.

 

Glorfindel slowly advanced the steps, his heart broke in utter pain and anguish. "Kerowyn..." he whispered. "Eldaron, let her go."

 

"No Glorfindel, she's a beast." Eldaron muttered nervously.

 

"This is not your daughter Eldaron. This is the daughter of Carinebeth... you have to let her go." Glorfindel replied.

 

Silvarian plunged to Glorfindel, Saeryn caught her though first, knocking a steel object from her hand. "No! You can't do this!"

 

The twins subdued Eldaron as Glorfindel unchained Kerowyn. Her head drooped but she looked up at Glorfindel, "I never thought you'd come..." she whispered before her world went black.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"You Foolish Selfish brat! Your worthless, your nothing!"

 

It was so cold, so dark... he struck and struck causing a painful sting with each blow. 

 

Her lips moved in an attempt of a begging of his mercy, "Saes, stop... please... stop... please..."

 

"I'll teach you some respect!"

His hand raised in the air, she flinched as it came down... "No! NO!!!!!!"

 

"NO!!!!!! No, please stop, I'll be good, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Please, please stop!"

 

Lindir jumped up at Kerowyn's quick outburst, "Kerowyn... Ker sweet-heart.." Lindir reached for her, putting her thrashing body in the safety of his warm, loving arms.

 

"L-Lindir..." 

 

Kerowyn's deep green eyes showed through the slits of her eye-lids. Tear drops caught in her long dark lashes, "Kerowyn, Oh valar Kerowyn..." he kissed her brow, smothering her with his love.

 

"L-Lindir... wh-what happened?"

 

Lindir held her shaking frame closer to him, "Nothing that needs to be spoken of Kerowyn... nothing but a forlorn memory." 

 

He watched her eyes slowly close as she returned to a now deep, peaceful, healing sleep. Lindir layed her down on the bed, leaving her head on his shoulder as he covered her up. He kissed her forehead as he heard the sounds of a door opening.

 

Luna looked at Kerowyn, pain tore at her heart. She hated she had not suspected sooner, or acted on her earlier feelings as she had been taught. "How is she?"

 

"She's resting now, she woke earlier... only for a breif while though." Lindir sadly smiled, "She doesn't blame you... you couldn't have possibly done nothing to help her." 

 

Luna nodded her head, "Then why do I feel as if I could've changed something? She wouldn't have been left in the care of those two phsycos if I had followed my instincts."

 

"What saved her was your instincts Luna... if you hadn't felt like we should go back to that cottage they could've hurt her worse... or killed her." Lindir looked at her. "You've done what you should've... what any one would've done in the current situation Luna... I thank you."

 

Luna smiled slightly. "You go rest now, I'd like to sit with her now... if you don't mind."

 

Lindir kissed Kerown's pale forehead once more before he slowly slipped away from her, he placed a hand on Luna's shoulder before he exited, closing the door behind him.

 

"You know, you scared us all pretty badly." Luna knelt beside the bed which held her life-less friend. Color seemed to be returning slowly to her face and Luna was ever grateful. "I, I don't know why I didn't further investigate that house... I, I just didn't think anything about the clues right infront of me. I-I'm sorry."

 

Tears pricked the sides of Luna's eyes and she let the tears flow. Grasping her friend's limp hand Luna sniffed, "I, I should've saved you sooner. I should've known what was happening, I've failed you as a friend, as a sister. I'm so sorry Kerowyn."

 

Bending her head to the sheets, Luna let out her anguish. She sobbed uncontrallably before a soft hand stroked her blonde hair. She lifted her head and through tear-glazed eyes she saw the emerald ones of her friend. "Kerowyn..."

 

"Shh..." the immortal whispered. "You've never failed me Luna... you never will. You've always made me proud, you saved my life." she grasped her friend's hand tightly in her's. "My sister..."

 

Luna smiled through her tears as she reached up to hug her friend, a sense of easyness crept into her heart as she let go all her problems, the world seemed to vanish in that one moment, the moment shared between family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks passed before Kerowyn was allowed out of the healing wings, still under the strict eye of her friends and family. 

 

The soft breeze flew through her raven locks as she took in the fresh March air.. a lovely sun provided warmth to her still slightly chilled skin. A sense of peace rested on her heart as she lifted her eyes to the heavens and thanked the Valar for safety, love, life, and most importantly... family. 

 

~The End~

 

Dedicated to: Luna and Elenwe... beloved friends, beloved sisters.