Disclaimer: I don’t own anything related to Tolkien’s works. This story is just for fun.

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“There’s something here, my lord!” shouted one of his men.

A pack of wolves. All dead, though they weren’t wounded by blade or arrow. They simply laid as if they were sleeping, except that there was blood pouring from their muzzles and freezing in the snow.

Gil-galad ordered them to burn the carcasses. He didn’t want any disease spreading among the lands.

“I’ve never seen something like this,” said Elrond to him as the smoke rose to the grey sky.

“Neither have I,” answered the King, “but I’m inclined to think that it was a disease which killed them. There’s no trace of another creature and they weren’t wounded.”

They had marched to hunt wolves, just like they did each winter, so the packs wouldn’t go down to the valleys. But that year it hadn’t been necessary to chase them away, for there hadn’t been any attack. Many of the King’s hunters wondered if it wasn’t the work of a necromancer.

“Should it have been a necromancer,” said the King, “the wolves wouldn’t be dead, but hunting down Men and Elves. Remember that wolves are often used by those who practice the dark arts.

They continued looking for clues which could lead them to the cause of their deaths, but their efforts were unfruitful. When they were about to abandon it and return to their homes, one of the hunters called out for them to approach. He had discovered something behind some bushes, but it wasn’t a clue.

When Gil-galad came near that place, the hunter was looking down with mingled horror and compassion in his face. There was a Daughter of Men laying face first on the snow; she was so thin she looked more like a skeleton, scantly covered with rags and her skin had acquired the bluish tone of freezing. A huge burning shaped like a hand covered her back, from her neck to her waist. Still, she was alive and breathed and that made them shiver: No one could survive in those conditions.

The first thing they did was to cure her wound; they had to bandage her, then the King wrapped her with his cape and kept the girl close him to give her his warmth, and he achieved it in part, for her lips turned from purple to a shade of pink.

“Do you think she’s ill?” asked Elrond when the King lifted her in his arms to ride back home.

“I don’t know,” he said, “but we cannot leave her here. We don’t fall ill, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Elrond held the girl in his arms while the King mounted on his steed and then passed her to him. The maiden was petite and thin, and could be carried without effort.

“Haven’t you noticed?” the half-elf asked when they were on their way. “She’s supposed to have her feet full with sores after walking barefoot in the snow.

“True,” said the King.

“Do you think that maybe she was attacked?”

“We can’t speculate. Save for the burn she doesn’t seem to have other injuries,” he said looking down to the girl snuggled against his chest. “I only hope we can save her.”

“I do hope it too,” Elrond answered.

Now it was difficult to see more than a bundle in the arms of the King, who looked from time to time at the little face of the maiden, as if he was expecting her to open her eyes. But such a thing was not going to happen soon.

The hunters had named her Losseth, Woman from the Snow, because of her strange finding. In those days there were many refugees who were searching for a place to settle. There were others, less honest, who took advantage of the last ones and robbed, enslaved or did worse things to them. All the company felt appalled thinking about a girl like the one they had just rescued, alone in the mountain, such an easy prey for bandits and wolves. That’s why nobody questioned the King’s decision of taking her to his house at The Grey Havens.

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When she opened her eyes all was still white, but the snow was cold no more. She opened them again and discovered that there was no snow: she was in a bed, a comfortable bed, by the way. The cracking of fire could be heard near her: a fireplace. It was difficult for her to remember those things, so far away they seemed in the past.

She sat up with effort and noticed that someone had bandaged her body. Surely they had discovered the burn in her back and tried to help her. Poor fools. They even dressed her in a soft white nightgown and had cleaned her, braiding her hair to keep it away from her face. Those simple things were luxuries to her, after all those years sleeping on the ground and wearing rags.

From her bed she looked around the room. It was luminous and ample. To one side of the bed there was the fireplace; the cold light of the winter morning poured through the large windows at the other side, softened by clear curtains. The door was opposite to the bed. The pieces of furniture were made of wood and beautifully carved with motifs of animals and flowers like she’d never seen before. And there even was a mirror on the wall.

She put her feet on the floor and walked to that mirror, half afraid of what she might see. When she reached it she had to cover her mouth not to cry. She hoped that what she had beheld at the lakes and ponds was just a bad dream, but it was the truth. She was but a skeleton clad in a white oversized nightgown. Her dark eyes bulged unpleasantly from her skeletal face and her cheeks were only tensed skin over protruding bones.

She went then to the window and she saw that it looked upon a snowy garden. The trees had no leaves but their branches grew near the building, which promised fresh shadow in summer. But now the sky was covered and the window’s crystal was so cool it gave her the shivers to touch it.

Then the door opened.

She jumped back at the sound and thought her heart had stopped until she could see who had entered. The girl let out a deep sigh upon seeing that there was no one terrible at the door, it was just a woman. She was tall and beautiful, with long dark locks and grey eyes. The woman stood one moment, as if surprised, and then she walked towards the girl with a warm smile, ushering her back to the bed.

Though she was not tired, she obeyed, for she understood that she looked like she was going to collapse at any time. Instead of complaining, the girl just studied the strange woman. She was beyond beautiful; her fair skin seemed to glow with an inner light, as well as her eyes, which looked like the stars in the sky. But the strangest thing was her pointy hears which, far from being unpleasant, conferred her face an eerie harmony.

Perching in the bed, the woman kept on talking to her in that soft and melodious language. Then she pointed to herself and said: “Ivorel”.

That woman was going to be the one in charge of her education. She taught her how to talk and soon the maiden could go without signs to communicate. And she could learn that the people who rescued her were called Eldar, or Elves, and that she was at the King’s house. Her health also improved once she could eat properly and in a matter of few days she wasn’t so skeletal and looked more like a normal girl. The only thing out of place was the burn, which didn’t heal properly. Ivorel had to change her bandages every day and the girl had her movements quite restricted, due to the pain it caused to her.

Another thing she was not allowed to do was to get out of her bed or go outside her room. They never locked the door, but the girl never dared to even touch the knob, so great was her respect towards her carer.

Ivorel was the only one who had contact with the maiden, but she told the girl that the master of that house was the king of those lands and the one who rescued her. The young one was puzzled about it, because in her homeland it was highly unusual for someone of noble birth to take pity on people like her. It was a surprise when one day another woman appeared and Ivorel made a reverence to her before exiting the room.

The new woman was also an Elf, but she had golden and silver locks and was dressed all in white. She looked like a queen and the girl couldn’t help but to bow her head before her, for she truly believed that she was a queen.

The woman perched in the bed and, she lifted her chin delicately with one hand. The eyes of the Elf woman were of a deep blue, and they appeared to glow on they own accord, but differently from Ivorel’s eyes, for they seemed to reflect all the stars in the sky, like a tranquil lake on a clear night. This was a beautiful race, no doubt of that.

“I see you are recovering satisfactorily,” she said. Her voice was soft, deep and melodious.

The girl only nodded, too shy to respond to her with words. She felt clumsy and little graceful in front of her.

“My name is Galadriel and I’m here to talk with you, for we wish to know of your past. Tell me, they found you in the forest but you were alone,” the Elf woman continued. “Where do you live?”

“I have no home,” was her faint response.

She was questioning her. Of course they must do that. After all, she was dangerous. But, why were they sending women to her instead of guards? These people were indeed strange.

“Ivorel said you don’t remember your name.”

“I… don’t remember it,” said the girl. “I have no country and no name. I told Ivorel that she could call me as she wished, but she said that a name was too important to do so. I do not understand that.”

“I see. Do you remember who wounded you?”

That was the only thing she didn’t want to talk about. The girl averted her face from Galadriel.

“Have no fear,” said Galadriel. “You’re safe here with us.”

The girl only shook her head sadly.

“But I don’t want to remember,” she said almost crying. “Please, let me forget.”

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and she began to tremble, as if a great horror had seized her heart. The girl flinched when she felt a reassuring hand over her own. The Lady’s touch was warm, like a mother’s hand would be and she was looking at her with gentle eyes.

“I know I might be asking you too much,” Galadriel told her. “But you must be brave. Were there men who did this?”

The girl shook her head.

“He…” she breathed deeply before continuing. “He looked like a giant to me, but he was made of darkness. His eyes…”

She broke again into sobs. Galadriel again tried to soothe her.

“You don’t have to say anything more, dear. I’ll see it myself.”

“Don’t do it,” said the maiden. “It’s horrible.”

But no matter how much she objected. Galadriel touched her forehead lightly and a sort of numbness invaded her.

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She was again in her room. Not that nightmarish cell, but her real room at her parent’s home. She was again a baby and she could see her old foster mother. She cherished those memories, when her world was simple and comfortable and she was surrounded by her parent’s love and care.

Now she was older, but still a child. Her old foster father had cut himself accidentally with the wood hatchet and she was closing the wound with her hands. He smiled at her when the skin recovered in a moment, as always, not leaving a single trace. His smile was the best compliment she needed.

She was now at the Temple of Water, for her village was not far from it. The central crystal, from which the power of water emanated, glowed eerily, and still it was comforting to view. She had heard of other three Temples around the world, one for each other element: Fire, Earth and Wind, but she never went to any of them.

Some force dragged her from that memory to another one, years later. She was not yet an adult, but she wasn’t a child either. She was kneeled in front of her parents’ grave, a bunch of flowers in her hand. She had been left alone and that was her first pain.

Then she saw herself at the Emperor’s castle. She was a healer, treated with respect but feared. Some said she was a demon, some said she was a good spirit, but everyone was fearful of her. She didn’t mind. She tended the old Emperor as best as she could, while his son watched her warily. She was afraid of him, he was a beautiful man, with silver mane and golden eyes, but he was dangerous and a coward.

The young prince was now the Emperor. She stood in front of his throne, for he had summoned her. He stood up and came down to her, gaining some gasps from the court members for that unusual behavior. He circled her like a wolf would circle a lamb, his golden eyes studying her little form for a long time, and then he questioned her. Questions and questions about the old Emperor’s health, how deteriorate it was and how he died. She knew what she had to say: that the former Emperor had died from old age. It wasn’t the truth, for the old man had been assassinated. Someone had poisoned him and she knew who the murderer was. In the new Emperor’s golden eyes she could read that he had done it and the promise of endless torment if she said anything. She would say nothing, for it was her word against an Emperor’s and, who would believe a demon? Besides, the poor old man had died peacefully and he had to die some day or another. Why his son couldn’t have been more patient?

He was not going to punish her, as she expected, though he summoned her several times to his chambers for questioning. She was deadly afraid of that man because he was a coward and cowards were the most dangerous kind of men. He also feared her, as she discovered later, because he suspected that she knew all he had done, thus the questioning. But she had learned to hide and survive, and he never knew for sure.

A demon’s outbreak occurred in the mountains. She was sent to tend the injured hunters. A big demon attacked them in the road. It was big as a house, with many legs, like a giant insect, and it burnt the grass where it walked. Strangely, it pursued only her and she had to spur her mount until it almost fell from exhaustion. She dismounted and let her animal go. The demon approached. She only extended her hand in front of its red-blood eyes. It tried to swallow her entirely opening what appeared to be a mouth, for it looked like a mere hole on its own body, but then it stopped and backed away; then it was in the ground, writhing in mute pain until it merely dissolved, leaving a black pool and what appeared to be the carcass of an animal. And all faded away for her.

Many animals were possessed by the strange demons, and soon people too suffered from it. It was said that entire villages had been turned into horrible beasts and they had to kill them. Still, there was a faint hope for them if their cases were caught in time, but few were the ones in that situation.

And then it began.

The sky darkened one day, strange lights could be seen in the mountains and horrible man-like creatures appeared there. They weren’t mindless demons and they were there to conquer. The giant fire demons were leading them and no one could stand against those armies. They raided village after village until they arrived at the capital. She saw the royal guards being slaughtered one by one, until the Emperor himself fought and was killed by one of the giants of fire. When they found her alive they wanted to kill her too but, just when a black scimitar was raised she covered herself, awaiting a blow that never came, for her executioner fell dead on the ground. The others backed away, as if fearing her powers, but the fire giant ordered them to tie her up and take her with them. The next thing she remembered was being transported in a carriage, still tied up. Villages, forests and valleys had disappeared and now a wasteland laid before her eyes. Through tears she saw the devastation caused by those beasts with no apparent reason. They only wanted to destroy, not to conquer.

She was brought to the mountains, towards the strange light, which was a rift made in middle air, as if the very fabric of the world had been torn apart. They came from there, a gate to the Abyss.

And she was shoved inside.

She fell at his feet. A mountain of pure darkness and evilness he was. He threw her into a dungeon and her torment began. He questioned her time after time about the Temples and the crystals they kept inside, about the powers they held. She didn’t tell him. It was too important to reveal. Those crystals sustained the world and without them it would crumble and fall apart.

Tired of waiting, he made his minions take the crystals and bring them to him and he made her witness everything.

And the world, her world, merely disappeared.

She was trapped inside that fortress, in a strange world which looked not very different from the wasteland that her home was before disappearing. There was no day, for black and red clouds covered the sky continuously and torches were necessary to light her cell. Soon she began to despair, for her captor didn’t need anything from her, but still he tortured her, always saying that at last he had found it, but she didn’t understand him.

One day the wasteland was filled with soldiers with silver armors and white banners. They began to fight and she lost count of how much time it passed until he burned her back. Then the white ships appeared in the sky and her tower fell down, and all was darkness to her.

Then the long years of wandering began. Not a single time they caught her when she had to rob an encampment; except once perhaps, when a man was kind enough to order the guards no to capture her. She had wanted to thank him but she didn’t speak his language and she was afraid of the armed men, so she ran away with her little loot.

She had to avoid wolves and bandits, but her legs were weak and could not run for too long. She hadn’t intended to kill them. She just wanted them to leave her alone, but they kept on pursuing her. It was always the same thing, one of then tried to bite or drag her and he dropped dead on the spot, along with the rest of the pack or the group. Then she laid exhausted until her strength returned and she could run away from those places.

Time after time it occurred, winter or summer. It didn’t matter, for predators were always watching for easy preys.

Until she woke up one morning in a real bed and she was in a real house again, like when she was younger and her little world was simple and comfortable.

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The girl opened her eyes and realized that she was crying. Galadriel held her hand and her blue eyes were soft with pity and compassion.

“My poor child,” she said. “You have suffered much. But you mustn’t be afraid, he’s gone forever and he cannot harm you anymore.”

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