The New King (Part 1)

[Mattheapar]

(About 20-30 years ago; end of Third Age)


Mattheapar spots the gate up ahead. He has finally returned to Rivendell after nearly a year's absense. Much has happened in that year, and he is glad to finally be able to settle down again with Isilwen. But much will be different now that Lord Elrond is gone. It was only two days ago that he said farewell to him at the Grey Havens. He had departed into the West with Galadriel, Mithrandir, and Frodo, never to return to this Middle-Earth again. Before he departed, however, he had given Mattheapar one final order, to take charge of Rivendell until his sons returned. Mattheapar is looking forward to his new temporary position, but most of all he is looking forward to seeing Isilwen again after a year and sharing all the details of his adventure with her. She will definitely enjoy the part about him singlehandedly slaying a cave troll in the depths of Moria and of his orc-fest at Helm's Deep.

Mattheapar is smiling as he approaches the gatekeeper, but he does not return the smile, and at once Mattheapar senses that something is not right. He rides Brussels to the stables and makes his way towards the palace, where he is greeted by a multitude of sad elves. As hard as he tries, he cannot find Isilwen amongst the crowd. He searches for Hildor, the man left in charge of Rivendell while he and Elrond were away. Making his way through the crowd, he spots Hildor standing on a platform, ready to make an announcement.

Hildor: (%)As you all know, Lord Elrond's sons, Elrohir and Elladan, where sent to the forest of Mirkwood a fortnight ago with a female companion. Not one of them has returned as of yet, but we sent a messenger to find out what has delayed them. Fear not, I am sure they are all fine.(&)

The crowd begins to disperse, seemingly satisfied with this announcement. But Mattheapar is not satisfied. He makes his way toward Hildor to find out more. Just then, a horse speeds past, barely missing him. The rider jumps off and runs to Hildor, handing him a message. Hildor reads the message and goes into shock. Mattheapar runs over and grabs the message from him.


"To the Lord of Rivendell,

While the Dark Lord has been defeated, evil is still present on this Middle-Earth. It has shown itself once again in the most wretched of forms. I was walking through the forest around a week ago, when I came across what appeared to be the site of a battle. I immediately searched for casualties and regret to inform you that the bodies of Elrohir and Elladan were among the orc debris. Also among the casualties was their two female companions and any other elves that were with them. It appears that none survived. My suspicions of who did this lie on Menel. She has been the cause of much trouble around Mirkwood latey, ever since she was exiled. I have sent this messenger back to you, after having him swear not to give this message to anyone save the Lord of Rivendell. You have my deepest sympathies,

Lord Thranduil of Mirkwood."

A lump grows in Mattheapar's throat and his heart feels as if it is being stabbed by a Morgul blade. He is afraid to ask Hildor who the female companion was, for fear that his suspicions be proven true. Finally, he grows up enough courage to ask.

Mattheapar: (&)Hildor...was one of the female companions....my beloved Isilwen?(&)

Hildor: (&)Yes...she was....and the other was your sister.(&)

Mattheapar's heart begins to throb like it never has before, and tears well up in his eyes. From this moment on, he swears to seek revenge on the one called Menel and on all of orckind.

Hildor: (&)I will give orders for the whole town to go into mourning, and then we will discuss our dilemna of who is to be the new Lord of Rivendell. I will send word for a council to be held tomorrow evening, but until then, take care.(&)

He pats Mattheapar on the back and walks off. Mattheapar falls to his knees and begins to weep.

(To be continued by any Rivendell elf)

[Tolwyn]

*Rosco is working today, but everyone is too busy to be interesting in reading anymore. So she takes one of her favorites, a copy of Mr. Baggin's "There and Back Again", and sits on the balcony railing overlooking the gate. She leans against a pillar and pretends to read, but she actullay watches the gate.

*Rosco smiles as Lord Mattheapar enters. He is one of the handsomest Elves ever in her opinion. She pushes her glasses back up on her nose and watches Matt's movement around the lawn. There is a gathering of Elves, and the temporary Lord talking to them. She can heatr the message from where she is, see the messenger enter, see the shock and the call for mourning.

"Poor Mattheapar," she says to herself. "Lost all his family in one day... Maybe the company of a fellow Elf will cheer him." So, she lays her book on a chaise in the library and goes down some stairs and out onto the lawn.

*Her short brown hair framing her face, and her glasses on the end of her nose again, She kneels by Matt and taps him on the shoulder. "Sorry to bother you, sir... but.. well, if you need a quiet place to relax the library is empty... " sheez, that's not what i meant to say... she thinks. "And, sir... if you ever need company... well... I'm here." She smiles slightly at him and pushes her glasses onto her nose again.

((what a geek! hahahahaha!! ))

[Mattheapar]

Mattheapar does not know what to say. He does not want to hurt Rosco's feelings, but at this moment all he wants is to be alone. He has never really had a conversation with Rosco, since he is always coming and going and she has never left Rivendell. He does not believe they have much in common; in fact, they are the exact opposite. She stays in the library all day long, while he must be travelling to really feel at home. She is smart and patient; he is smart, but impatient.

Mattheapar: "Thank you for your kindness, but all I want at the moment is to be left alone."

He pushes her out of his mind and places his head between his knees again. She looks hurt. She begins to walk away, but he stops her.

Mattheapar: "We are going to have a council to decide who the new king shall be, and since you probably already know all about Elrohir and Elladan's deaths, I would like you to be present at this council. You seem to have wisdom beyond your years and may have something to say on this matter. I will see you then."

He walks off to his dormitory, pondering many things.

[Tolwyn]

*Rosco nods and goes back upstairs to the library. She picks "There and Back Again" up off of the chaise, and puts it back in its place. Then she wanders around looking at the books for awhile. She figures she should re-read some of the tales of how they chose lords in ancient places. She finds the right book, goes back to the balcony and sits on the railing, this time reading.

[Menel]

Menel stops Sereg at the edge of the cliffs. The hidden city of Rivendell was below them. Her black hood fell to her shoulders and her chestnut hair blew freely in the wind. She turned Sereg to the side and rode down the little path that led down into the city. She tucked a peice of her hair behind her pointed ear as she passed through the gates, the guards not saying anything.

The faces of the people were gloom, some weeping openly. She turned to one of the guards, "Excuse me, Sir, but, what has happened?" Menel smiled on the inside when the guard told her of the news. "Oh...I am sorry for your loss." She lied. She rode Sereg into some stables and put him in an empty stall. She turned away and walked out into the city.

[eleryn]

Aelinn woke up in her room and stretched. Amawen was supposed to be home soon. She got up and put on her favorite oufit, a nice grey-green dress that brought out her eyes. In it she looked almost like a short elf. She walked to the balcony and looked around. There weren't many elves out. How strange... she thought to herself. She walked back into her room, finished putting braids in her hair and washed her face. She decided to see if Mattheapar had come home yet.

Silently she went down the stairs. If he was home, he would be somewhere around the library. If he is here, I can sneak up on him.. she thought eagerly. She passed a few elves, and noticed how sad they looked. Something isn't right. she thought, and asked one of the elves if Mattheapar was home yet. The elf gravely nodded, but said nothing else.

Confused, she made her way to the library, seeing more and more sad elves. What in Middle Earth is wrong? she thought as she walked. Soon she walked into the library, and after a few moments she spotted him. Was he crying? Suddenly fear gripped her, and she ran to him.

"Mattheapar, is Amawen alright? What has happened?" she asked, looking scared and confused. She dreaded what his answer would be.

[Wingfoot]

Idriol stood steadily atop a Rivendell balcony. He looked down at the terrified faces, oblivious of the dilemma at hand. He arched his eyebrows and left the balcony to the long wood stairway. His slow trot turned to a sprint as his eagerness took over.

He ran to the first elf he saw and asked "What is going on? Why are all in a frenzy?"

"We aren't sure," she mumbled, "but there are rumours stirring that it's the king."

The king? He thought. Mattheapar? But, he had just returned without a scratch. There could not be anything wrong with our beloved king!

He then recalled of the night the two sons left the city. They had two females with them, one looking much like Idriol's king. A look of grief struck him just as Hildor sent out an order to mourn.

Idriol shook his head and said a prayer. The king had been through a lot, and now on top of it, he had lost his family.

Idriol reached ground level and looked for the king. He was just another elf to him, but he wanted to pledge his allegiance, never to leave his side.

[Tolwyn]

As day fades to night, Roscheniel (Rosco) reluctantly leaves the library and goes to her room. She can barely see the floor through all the things on it. Half-finished paintings and stories, bottles of chemicals she is testing, tons of books and pieces of paper with notes about the books, and a few personal things like clothes and food. She lets her rather short hair down and takes her glasses off, and collapses on her bed to sleep.